The 86th Annual General Meeting of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) has taken place in Xiamen, China, Azernews reports.

The meeting was attended by delegations from 143 countries, including a representative from the Azerbaijan Badminton Federation (ABF).

During the annual meeting, reports from various committees, including marketing, communication, and finance, were presented. It was noted in the speeches that badminton continues to gain success worldwide.

By 2025, the number of badminton fans is expected to reach 744 million, with 400 million actively participating in the sport, making it the most popular racket sport globally. On social media, the BWF is followed by 17 million people and is among the top ten most-watched federations alongside FIFA and FIBA.

Elections were held for the BWF President and the governing body known as the Council, as well as the Executive Committee for the 2025-2029 term. Taleh Ziyadov, the President of the Azerbaijan Badminton Federation, was elected as a Council member from Europe for a four-year term.

According to BWF's current regulations, the 20 newly elected Council members will determine the organization’s development strategy, committee leadership, and internal and external regulations.

President of the Thailand Badminton Association Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul was elected as the President of the Badminton World Federation. It is noteworthy that in recent years, the ABF has successfully advanced from 85th to 46th place in the world rankings and consistently hosts various levels of international badminton tournaments.

In 2023, the Congress of the Badminton Europe Confederation (BEC) was held in Baku.

Under a social responsibility agreement signed with the BWF in 2023, the Azerbaijan Badminton Federation has provided badminton equipment such as rackets and shuttlecocks to the badminton organizations of Botswana, Djibouti, Cameroon, Gambia, and Madagascar to support the development and popularity of badminton in African countries.