Queensland secures prestigious international badminton event

Following a successful bid by Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) and Badminton Australia, the 2017 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Sudirman Cup will be held on the Gold Coast.

Held biennially, the 2017 BWF Sudirman Cup World Mixed Team Championships will be held from 21st to 28th May.

Queensland Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games, Jann Stuckey, said Queensland would be the first Australian destination to host the BWF Sudirman Cup in the event’s 25-year history, stating “the event, to be held from 21-28 May 2017, is expected to attract more than 1,500 competitors from around 45 countries and a global television audience of more than 500 million.

“Badminton boasts a strong following in Asia and Europe, with the Sudirman Cup a fantastic opportunity to raise Queensland’s profile in key visitor markets, including the United Kingdom, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and South Korea.”

BWF Sudirman Cup World Mixed Team Championships will be held in conjunction with the BWF Annual General Meeting and the two events combined are expected to deliver an economic impact of $10 million for Queensland.

The BWF Annual General Meeting alone will attract over 250 delegates representing 180 national badminton federations.

The event will be held at the newly developed Carrara Sport and Leisure Centre, the same venue as the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games badminton tournament.

Minister Stuckey added “construction of the Carrara Sport and Leisure Centre is due to begin in early 2015 and the venue will provide the ideal location to host this global event.”

TEQ Chief Executive Leanne Coddington said the event was a fantastic addition to Queensland’s dynamic sporting events calendar.

She explained “the BWF Sudirman Cup demonstrates our commitment to securing more national and international sporting events for Queensland.

“Queensland boasts Australia’s best events in Australia’s best destinations promoted as part of the It’s Live events calendar.

“TEQ has developed the world’s best destination-focussed events calendar that is a major commercial asset for Queensland and contributes to the industry’s target of growing visitor expenditure to 2020.

Badminton Australia Chief Executive Paul Brettell added “the BWF Sudirman Cup will certainly be one of our calendar’s feature events come 2017.

“The awarding of the 2017 BWF Sudirman Cup to Australia and the Gold Coast is a major boost for the sport in the whole Oceania Region.”

“This will be the first time the event has been hosted outside Asia and Europe and the success of the bid is a reflection on the professionalism of the bid by TEQ and Badminton Australia.

“All the badminton fraternity looks forward eagerly towards 2017.”

15th August 2014 - WORK TO START ON KEY GOLD COAST COMMONWEALTH GAMES FACILITIES