Bhutan are set to make their debut at the BWF World Junior Championships, and the team hope the historic occasion will spur them on to bigger achievements in time to come.
The host city Guwahati is not far from Bhutan — the team had only eight hours to travel by road. A BWF training camp was conducted in the runup to the World Juniors, and Bhutan were thrilled to make the best of the opportunity. The development camp had players from six countries – Bhutan, Egypt, Ghana, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Uganda.
Bhutan’s players at the training camp
“We are really fortunate to be here, we are really excited,” said Norbu Dradhul, Technical Coordinator with Bhutan Badminton Federation, and national sub-junior coach. The team event for the Suhandinata Cup — the YONEX SUNRISE BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships 2025 — will be held 6-11 October, followed by the individual championships (13-19 October).
“We are happy that we got this opportunity to participate, with the event being in India. I think the camp was a really good idea. It gave us time to acclimatise with the new points system (for the team championships). Also, the kids were happy to make new friends.”
The team of eight has had limited opportunities or exposure to international events. Dradhul says only three of the eight have competed internationally, and hoped the World Juniors would mark a turning point in the nation’s badminton development.
Norbu Dradhul briefs a player
“Personally, this is one of my biggest milestones, so I’m really happy, that I can come here, especially as this is a world event. We have a shared goal for this tournament. What we want to do is that we just give our best, we are not expecting anything.”
Bhutan are in a challenging group with Poland, Korea, Romania and Hungary. Dradhul is thankful that the camp introduced the players to the team relay system that will be used for the Suhandinata Cup.
“Obviously a lot of big countries are in our group, so I told my players that is very good exposure for us, and we don’t need to get nervous. Let’s just do our best and be happy. That’s our objective.”
National senior coach Sherab Gyaltshen couldn’t hide his emotion at what this meant for the future of badminton in Bhutan.
“We have brought four boys and four girls, and we have young players – the youngest is 12 — because they are the future. There are around 30 countries, so it will be great exposure for the players. Some of our players are participating for the first time in an event like this.
Bhutan Badminton Federation’s technical coordinator Norbu Dradhul (left) and national senior coach Sherab Gyaltshen
“It’s not a small occasion. It was a very good opportunity for Bhutan because Guwahati is close by. Any other place would have been difficult.”
The training camp, he said, had given the team an opportunity to get used to the points system that will be used in the Suhandinata Cup.
“We were exposed to new ideas. It’s a new points system, and we weren’t sure of how it would work. Through this camp, we could adapt to this. If we would’ve played this directly in the tournament, we’d have been a bit blind.
“Shuttle Time made badminton popular in Bhutan. Earlier, nobody knew what badminton was. Earlier, even when we offered to train, nobody would come. Now the world is changing, and even in Bhutan, things are changing. Parents are coming forward for us to train their kids.”
What the Players Said
“It’s our first time in a big tournament like this, so I’m nervous and excited. The camp was useful; I learnt attack, defence and footwork, I got more confident and I made new friends.” – Pema Tenzin
“We are lucky that we are participating, and we are happy to be in this wonderful event. It’s a proud moment for Bhutan as it’s the first time. My parents were proud of me, although they were a bit worried about my education. They told me to try my best. I have exams coming up after this.” – Yangchen Dolkar
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