Badminton fans globally can now enjoy their favourite sport even more online thanks to two innovative, audience-specific websites from the Badminton World Federation.

First there is the Fan Site (www.bwfbadminton.com) which is the hub of activity for all things badminton: the latest news on players and events, besides player profiles, results, rankings and statistics. In essence, it is the portal to the world of badminton for fans, players, media and sponsors.

Meanwhile, the corporate website (www.bwfcorporate.com) will service BWF’s 183 members and its five continental confederations as well as badminton administrators, business partners and technical officials.

These two sites join the BWF World Superseries site (above; www.bwfworldsuperseries.com), launched over a year ago, which provides extensive coverage of the annual MetLife BWF World Superseries circuit. BWF also presented a World Championships site (www.bwfworldchampionships.com) before the TOTAL BWF World Championships in Jakarta last season. Features on the current BWF site (www.bwfbadminton.org) have been integrated into the sites, helping fans have a seamless transition in this fresh online experience.

BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund noted this network of websites is designed to cater to specific audiences within badminton’s worldwide community which has increased significantly in recent years.

“The websites have been tailored to communicate badminton developments in a more detailed manner to a growing and diverse fan base.

“Badminton is growing rapidly and the demand for information about various aspects of the sport is quite high. These online portals will deliver a better information flow to our different audiences,” said Lund.

“Each site targets a specific sector within our vast badminton community. We are using better technology to ensure an enhanced online experience. The new sites are mobile responsive, so they will cater to young generations of fans who predominantly follow sport on mobile devices.”

The BWF has more website launches planned for this year:

Chinese Fan Site: The Fan Site translated into Chinese, catering to the global Chinese audience.

Education Site: This provides information on player education and training courses in badminton and is targeted at coaches and coach educators/tutors, technical officials, classifiers, players and their entourage.

Shuttle Time Site:  The home of Shuttle Time Schools Badminton that will provide extensive material for schools, teachers, tutors, trainers, and members implementing Shuttle Time programmes.

BWF Badminton Museum Site: A collaboration between Russian Badminton Federation and the Russian Academy of Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University. This website will capture the heritage and history of badminton – profiling the icons of the sport, events of historical importance, and nuggets about the game’s glorious past.

BWF’s online presence, including social media (Facebook, Twitter and YouTube), has helped fans keep track of their favourite players and events. BWF’s YouTube channel, www.badmintonworld.tv, carries all BWF’s video programmes, including the popular Badminton Unlimited, live streaming and match highlights, development initiatives such as Shuttle Time and para-badminton content.

As several major tournaments approach – such as the TOTAL BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – the network of web platforms will continue providing the best of badminton to legions of fans globally.