Sports Recommendation

AirBadminton

Badminton is a hugely popular sport to watch and play. In recent years, a new sport blending traditional badminton with outdoor elements has emerged, allowing players to play badminton, anytime and anywhere, without venue and wind constraints. It really offers an exciting new option for sports lovers.

Origins of AirBadminton

In 2013, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) floated the proposal to bring badminton, a traditional indoor sport, to the natural environment. That same year, they sought to seek partners to jointly develop AirBadminton, with a view to encouraging wider participation in the sport. After years of research and testing, the BWF announced the launch of the AirBadminton Community Project in Guangzhou in 2019, marking the birth of the sport. In addition, AirBadminton was included as an official event for the first time in the 2023 World Beach Games, originally scheduled to be held in Bali, Indonesia. The first AirBadminton team of Hong Kong, China achieved notable success in the Asian qualifier by securing a place to compete in the next round of games.

2013	June	Tenders were invited for collaboration on the development of AirBadminton.
2014	December	Tender exercise was completed with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore selected as partner.
2018	April	The first phase of testing commenced at the University of Alicante in Spain. Participants included Olympic athletes, national squad players, club players, students and youngsters. The research team collected data on the requirements for the court and physical performance regularly for analysis.
	July	The second phase of testing commenced at the University of Alicante, covering issues such as game formats, rules, scoring systems, net heights and court sizes. Trials on sand surface were conducted with the Spanish squad team players. November Members were briefed on the latest progress of the AirBadminton project at the BWF Council meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, including the organisation of the first exhibition match.
2019	January	The third phase of testing commenced at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, with the aims of analysing the performance of the AirShuttle in detail and conducting tests on hard and sand surfaces.
	May	The BWF AirBadminton Community Project was announced to be launched in Guangzhou, China, in collaboration with HSBC, the Global Development Partner of BWF.
	May	AirBadminton was introduced to members at the BWF Annual General Meeting held in Nanning, China.
	December	The Press release on the HSBC BWF AirBadminton Community Project was held in Guangzhou.
2020	March	The BWF launched a global promotion campaign of AirBadminton.

Distinctions between AirBadminton and Traditional Badminton

Both AirBadminton and traditional badminton help promote physical and mental health, as well as social interaction, bringing huge benefits to our well-beings. Not much differences are found between the two in terms of basic game rules and technical requirements. The main distinctions lie in court sizes, events and regulations. An outdoor sport, AirBadminton is more physically demanding compared with traditional indoor badminton. Moreover, thanks to the cork base made of elastic nano-materials and nylon skirt, the AirShuttle is both sturdier and heavier. Such a design enhances its resistance to wind and durability, thereby significantly eliminating the impacts of outdoor environments.

Attractiveness of AirBadminton

With flexible and versatile game rules, AirBadminton is easy to play and master, even for beginners, making it a sport for all. Thanks to its minimal venue requirements, it can be played outdoor such as beaches, parks, lawns or hard surfaces. Participants can enjoy the beauty of nature, while having the fun of the sport.

Development of AirBadminton in Hong Kong

Established in 2022, the AirBadminton Association of Hong Kong, China Limited managed by the Badminton Association of Hong Kong, China (BAHKC) strives to promote the sport in Hong Kong. With annual subsides granted by the LCSD, the Association organises the activities related to AirBadminton under the School Sports Programme such as roving demonstration sessions in schools, and works with community sports clubs to hold AirBadminton fun days across districts. Looking forward, the BAHKC will continue to promote and demonstrate AirBadminton in schools to encourage greater student participation. On another front, the BAHKC will plan to organise AirBadminton tournaments to augment the public’s understanding of the sport, in a bid to introduce it to more people.

The 2023 World Beach Games Asian Qualifier was successfully held in Kuala Lumpur from 23 to 25 June 2023. The BAHKC sent a squad to this first asian AirBadminton tournament, where our athletes won the third place in the mixed team relay and performed remarkably in the men's and women's three-on-three games in the World Beach Games Asian Qualifier to secure places for the next round of events. Such results were truly encouraging.

Equipment, Game Rules and Regulations of AirBadminton

Equipment

AirBadminton requires relatively basic equipment. All players need are badminton rackets and the AirShuttle to enjoy the fun of the sport anytime and anywhere. To eliminate the impact of the outdoor environment, the BWF recommended AirBadminton players to use rackets with lower string tension (around 8 kilograms to 9 kilograms or 17.5 pounds to 20 pounds) and thicker strings.

Court Size

AirBadminton courts are generally larger in size, measuring 16 metres by 6 metres, with a 2-metre wide dead zone at the front on either side of the court where players must not hit the shuttlecock, encouraging players to do long shots and utilise more strategies.

Competition Events

AirBadminton includes singles (one player per side), doubles (two players per side), and triples (three players per side) events. In triples events, players are not allowed to hit the shuttlecock twice in a row, and the next return must be taken by other teammates, with a view to engaging more players in the game. By doing so, their teamwork and tactics are put to the test.

Scoring System

The BWF recommends the best-of-five games of 11 points scoring system. If the score is tied at 10-all, the side that takes a 2-point lead wins. In case of a tie at 12-all, the side that reaches 13 points first wins.