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The Azerbaijan Badminton Federation (Badminton Azerbaijan) has been awarded the Gender Equality and Diversity Award by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The award was presented during the BWF Annual General Meeting held in Horsens, Denmark. This award reflects the success of the “Sport is Life” initiative, which has been implemented since 2022 at Women’s Correctional Facility No. 4 in Baku, in close cooperation with the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan. As part of the project, regular badminton training sessions and tournaments are organized, with more than 100 women taking part in these activities each year. Special events are held annually on 8 March — International Women’s Day — and 5 July — World Badminton Day. These events help increase participants’ motivation, promote inclusivity, and strengthen an environment of active participation.

Today, the 86th Annual General Meeting of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) was held in Xiamen, China. The delegation of the Azerbaijan Badminton Federation was also invited to the meeting, which gathered representatives from 143 countries. During the annual meeting, reports from committees such as marketing, communications, finance, and others were presented. In the speeches, it was noted that badminton continues to gain success worldwide. It was highlighted that by 2025, the global fan base for the sport is expected to reach 744 million people. Around 400 million individuals actively engage in playing badminton, making it the most popular racket sport in the world. On social media, BWF is followed by 17 million users, ranking it among the top 10 most followed federations alongside FIFA and FIBA. At the event, elections were held for the BWF President, the Council (the supreme governing body), and the Executive Committee for the 2025–2029 term. The President of the Azerbaijan Badminton Federation, Taleh Ziyadov, was elected as a member of the Council representing Europe for a four-year term. According to BWF regulations, the 20 newly elected Council members will determine the organization's development strategy, appoint committee heads, and define internal and external governance policies. Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, President of the Thailand Badminton Federation, was elected as the President of the Badminton World Federation. It should be noted that the Azerbaijan Badminton Federation has managed to climb from 85th to 46th place in the world rankings in recent years and continues to host various levels of international badminton tournaments. In 2023, the Congress of the Badminton Europe Confederation (BEC) was held in Baku. As part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives, based on an agreement signed with the BWF in 2023, the Azerbaijan Badminton Federation supported the development and mass promotion of badminton in African countries by supplying badminton organizations in Botswana, Djibouti, Cameroon, Gambia, and Madagascar with badminton equipment, including rackets, shuttlecocks, and accessories.

An exciting tournament was held among badminton enthusiasts on March 16. The magnificent event, organized by the Volan Badminton Club and supported by the Azerbaijan Badminton Federation, was met with great interest.

At the event, the coaches of our federation provided autistic children with basic information about badminton and taught them the rules of the game. Badminton, which develops communication and movement coordination, was met with great interest among children. Badminton is for everyone!

On April 2, the first master class was held for the school's students in cooperation with TISA. The participants received important knowledge on technique and strategy from our national team and coaches. Such initiatives increase interest in badminton and other sports among students, creating a basis for the emergence of new talents in the future!

A total of 63 athletes participated in the competition, including 40 boys and 23 girls. Medalists of individual competitions among boys Mukhtar Badalov Murad Garayev Rasul Guliyev, Rajab Hasanov Medalists of the individual competitions among girls Melek Tahmazli Khadija Manafova Ziba Mammadli, Aida Gurbanova Medalists in the boys' doubles Ibrahim Huseynli and Mukhtar Badalov Murad Garayev and Sajjad Allahverdiyev Murad Ismizade and Rajab Hasanov Rasul Guliyev and Umid Karimli Medalists in the girls' doubles Aida Gurbanova and Melek Tahmazli Aida Begova and Khadija Manafova Fidan Rahimli and Ziba Mammadli Medina Hasanova and Rafiga Hidayatova Medalists of the mixed team competitions Rasul Guliyev and Khadija Manafova Mukhtar Badalov and Aida Begova Murad Garayev and Aida Gurbanova Sajjad Allahverdiyev and Melek Tahmazli