Saina Nehwal

New Delhi [India], September 26 (ANI): The Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Junior Championships 2025 return to India after 17 years, with Guwahati’s National Centre of Excellence set to host the action from October 6-19.

The competition will open with the Mixed Team Championships for the Suhandinata Cup from October 6-11, followed by the Individual Championships for the Eye Level Cup from October 13-19. As the countdown begins, here are five facts you should know about the junior championships.

-The Host Advantage

Only a handful of nations, Malaysia, Indonesia, Canada, Spain, China, and India, have hosted the BWF World Junior Championships more than once. With this edition, India becomes just the fourth Asian country to stage the prestigious junior event twice, adding significance as the nation builds momentum to host the BWF World Championships in 2026, as per a press release from the Badminton Association of India (BAI).

When India last hosted the event in 2008, the country was just beginning to rise in world badminton. Since then, the sport has sparked a wave of enthusiasm, grown rapidly, and produced champions who have carried India’s Olympic hopes. What was once a sport dominated by a handful of states has now expanded widely, with juniors from 13 different states earning the opportunity to represent India on the world stage in 2025. The home advantage, the exposure, and the spotlight on young talent are expected to give badminton’s popularity in India another major boost, while also laying the groundwork for even more champions to emerge in the years to come.

-India’s Medal Journey

India opened its medal tally in the Individual Championship in 1996, at the third edition of the tournament, when nine-time National Champion Aparna Popat won a silver medal in girls’ singles. Since then, India has won a total of 11 medals at the Individual Championships: one Gold, four Silver, and six Bronze. The nation’s first gold came in 2008, when Saina Nehwal won girls’ singles on home soil. The same year, RMV Gurusaidutt claimed bronze in boys’ singles, making it India’s most successful edition with two medals, followed by two bronze medals in boys’ singles in 2010. Of the 11 medals, boys’ singles accounts for 8, with the most recent being a bronze in 2023 by Ayush Shetty, who is now emerging as a rising star on the senior circuit.

-India’s 2025 Campaign – Seeded for the First Time

For the first time in history, India has been seeded in the Mixed Team Championships, entering the event as the second seed. This comes on the back of strong performances by Indian juniors on the international circuit. The squad is led by Tanvi Sharma, the current World No. 1 in girls’ singles, along with former World No. 1 pair Bhargav Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gobburu in boys’ doubles. With a total of nine Indian entries ranked inside the top 25 of the BWF Junior Rankings, the lineup is well-poised to add to India’s medal tally.

-Relay System in the Play & Race to 15 Individuals

1 Tie – 3 Sets – 5 Matches – 45 points in the relay system

The Team Championships will adopt the BWF’s updated relay scoring system. Each tie will be played over three sets, with the first side to reach 45 points in a set winning that set. A set is made up of five matches, covering all events: boys’ singles, girls’ singles, mixed doubles, boys’ doubles and girls’ doubles. Each match will be played until one side scores 9 points, after which the next match begins, continuing from the same cumulative score. The set concludes once a team reaches the 45-point mark. The tie will follow a best-of-three sets format, with the team winning two sets declared the winner. In the previous relay format trialled at the BWF World Junior Championships 2024 in China, teams competed for 110 points across 10 matches.

For the first time in the BWF World Junior Championships, the new fast-paced scoring system will be trialled at the Individual Championships to be held in Guwahati. The format will follow a 3×15 system. Under BWF and BAI collaboration, this trial is part of the BWF’s broader efforts to modernise badminton.

-Global Badminton Powerhouses

Since the inaugural edition, China has dominated the BWF World Junior Championships across both team and individual events. In the individual championships, China has maintained a consistent medal streak, winning at least one medal in one of the five events every year. Remarkably, they have secured a gold medal in at least one event in every edition, except in 2012 and the year 2011 when they did not participate.

China’s dominance is highlighted by a continuous 7-year gold streak in boys’ singles (1992-2004) and a 9-year streak in girls’ doubles (1992-2007). Overall, China leads the medal tally both together in individual and mixed team events with nearly 200 medals, including 60 golds in Individual and 14 golds in Mixed Team Championships.

Other leading nations in the individual include Malaysia (13 golds), South Korea (10 golds), and Indonesia (9 golds). Malaysia is the second-most successful in boys’ doubles with 8 golds, behind China. (ANI)

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