When was the last time India hosted the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships?
India last hosted the World Junior Badminton Championships in Pune in 2008, the first time the tournament was played in the country.
In the World Junior Badminton Championships in Pune in 2008, India secured two medals, including one gold and a bronze to settle for the third position in the medal tally.
China with nine medals (three gold, four silver, and two bronze), and Malaysia with four medals (one gold and three bronze) secured the top two spots in the tally. Singapore and South Korea clinched the fourth and fifth spots in the standings while Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand were the other nations to secure the medals.
A total of 21 countries competed in the team competition at the 2008 BWF World Junior Championships with Sri Lanka and Estonia making their debut in the campaign.
The then-rising star from India, Saina Nehwal, in the girls' singles category, defeated Sayaka Sato from Japan by 21-9, 21-18 in the final to clinch the gold medal.
On the other hand, Gurusaidutt secured the bronze medal after suffering a defeat in the boys’ singles event against China’s Wang Zhengming by a 16-21, 21-17, 17-21 scoreline.
Badminton World Federation (BWF) announces hosts for upcoming major events
The Badminton World Federation (BWF), in its latest meeting held in China on April 28, Sunday, selected the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati as the host for the World Junior Badminton Championships 2025.
Interestingly, it took 16 years for the nation to get back the hosting rights for 2025 in Pune. However, the dates for the campaign are yet to be confirmed.
It’s important to note that Guwahati successfully hosted the BWF Super 100 competition, Guwahati Masters, in December 2023, and the positive feedback was one of the major reasons India received the hosting rights for Junior Worlds.
Apart from the Junior Worlds, BWF also announced hosts for the upcoming editions of Thomas and Uber Cup finals. The tournament will be hosted by Denmark in Horsens in 2026. Notably, it is just the second time that Denmark will conduct the campaigns after it was previously held in Aarhus in 2021.