Dubai has numerous accolades in multiple facades, making it the most vibrant, dynamic, and progressive city-state globally. Having conducted several world-class sporting events, Dubai also etched its mark in the international sporting calendar.
Badminton as a sport has gained unparalleled growth in the past seven years, since the start of the BWF Dubai Project in 2014. With the recent opening of the Gulf Badminton Academy, by and large, Dubai has proved its mettle to become a Global badminton Hub, both in terms of providing education and world-class facilities. Under the mentorship of former All England Champion and Chief National Coach for Indian national badminton team Pullela Gopichand, GBA plans to open multiple academies in and around their Dubai hub, aiming to take badminton to further heights. We wish the team all success.
It is not a coincidence that the current Olympics Gold medalist Viktor Axelsen made Dubai his new home and set his training base at the NAS Sports Complex. On a similar note, we also saw the French national player Brice Leverdez stay in Dubai and practice at the Xtra Sports Academy. Moreover, it was not so long ago that the former Malaysian national player & international coach Yogendran Khrishnan became part of the Dubai badminton bandwagon with the academy NVBA-Dubai. A young prodigy from Dubai, Tanisha Crasto, training with Prime Star Sport Academy for several years, is currently on tour as part of India’s national team at the Sudirman Cup and the Thomas/Uber Cups. Another praiseworthy achievement would be that of Ravikrishna PS, who trained with SPARC Badminton Club has found his spot in the Indian national squad and has reached Semi-finals at the VICTOR Ukraine International 2021 last month.
Being home to nearly Forty badminton academies, a good population of certified coaches and sparring players, and the rapid growth of dedicated facilities and events, it is only natural that Dubai will soon become a global provider for badminton education and training.
With the start of the Dubai Expo 2020, the country has safely opened its doors to international passengers, visitors, and people from all walks of life; we are sure that the trend will continue and stay. As the United Arab Emirates celebrates its Golden Jubilee in 2021 and looks forward to an even brighter next 50, we are sure that badminton will have a great story to tell.