The dominance of Asian badminton players in the BWF World top 100 rankings continued in 2022.
With the exception of men’s singles, Asian players win most BWF World Tour tournaments and top the world rankings. In this article, we’ll give you the raw facts about the extent of Asian dominance in badminton.
Through the figures and illustration below, you’ll quickly realize that badminton players from Europe gradually have been outperformed by players from Asia. But you might also recognize an even bigger story. Which is that Latam, Africa, and Oceania have not been able to catch up to Europe and Asia.
This is quite concerning for the sport of badminton. Because, in my opinion, this lack of progress would indicate that the talent development initiatives in the aforementioned territories have left much to be desired. Surely, with the right commitment, Latam, for example, is well-positioned to develop top badminton players.
Asian badminton players account for 65% of players on the BWF top 100 rankings
The illustration, which stems from this study, explains how badminton players from Asia have increased the percentage of male and female badminton players on the BWF World Ranking top 100.
In short, 65 out of 100 players in the top 100 represent an Asian country. Approximately 26 represent a European country. And less than 10 players represent Oceania, Africa, or Latam.
In the period between 1994-2000, Europe had more players in the top 100 than any other continent. That changed from 2001 onwards for male badminton players when Asia had more players in the top 100 than any other continent. In fact, Asia has increased their dominance ever since. In 2016 – 2020 nearly 70% of the top 100 male players represented a country in Asia.
Europe, on the other hand, has dropped from nearly 50% to less than 30% of players in the top 100.
On the female player side, Europe held on a little longer only to experience a significant drop between 2006 to 2010. That’s when the Asian continent began its domination. Since then, Asian badminton players have gone from strength to strength whilst their European competitors have experienced a gradual decrease in female badminton players on the top 100 rankings.
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