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BWF suspends the membership of Russian Federation over technical breaches

In a recent development, the BWF has decided to suspend the Russian Badminton Federation from all its tournaments.

By Soumya | Nov 30, 2023 | 2 Min Read

The Russian-Ukraine war has been detrimental not only to the entire nation but to a plethora of Russian athletes. These athletes have found it difficult to contest in important tournaments. Already there had been a ban on Russian athletes from important tournaments like the FIFA World Cup. Now, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) has suspended the membership of the National Badminton Federation of Russia (NBFR). This move means that the Russian shuttlers will be banned from participating in important tournaments under the roster of the BWF World Tour.

What is the opinion of the apex badminton body?

In the latest decision made at the BWF Council meeting on 11 November 2023, the International Federation has decided to suspend the Russian Federation. NBFR was found to be in breach of BWF conditions of membership. This includes administering the areas which fall under the jurisdiction of another member. The territorial jurisdiction of the violation is guided by the international community. These territories are the Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.

Furthermore, according to the BWF, the decision will be subject to confirmation by the membership at the 2024 AGM in Chengdu, China. However, there is still a beacon of hope for the Russian athletes. In the aforementioned process, players with a Russian passport can still participate in BWF-sanctioned tournaments. However, these athletes have to participate under the category of ‘independent neutral athletes’. BWF on the other hand is trying to ease the process of direct registration. Doing so will help the Russian shuttlers in a fair fight on the world stage.

This is not the first time BWF has taken stern action against the Russian Federation. The BWF had banned Russian and Belarusian athletes in March last year after Russia invaded Ukraine. Belarus is being used as a key staging ground for Russia’s war in Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special operation”. Now, there’s a repeat of the decree this year. However, this time the stakes are much higher with the Paris Olympics in just a couple of months. Naturally, such a stern order might jeopardise the months of preparations for many Russian shuttlers who have set their eyes on an Olympics podium. Now only time can tell what the BWF has in store for these aspiring Russian shuttlers.