The Superseries circuit, which ran for a decade, was to pave the way for the World Tour, with HSBC as the Principal Global Partner. The global banking group would have a corporate presence across BWF’s entire suite of events – title-sponsoring the new HSBC BWF World Tour and the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals for the first four years as well as becoming Premier Sponsor for the BWF Major Championships (World Championships, Sudirman Cup and Thomas & Uber Cup Finals).

Featuring six levels, the series which was initially from 2018 to 2021 (later extended until end-2026), boasted of the season finale with US$1.5 million up for grabs. Guangzhou was to be home for the entire first cycle, given its great enthusiasm for badminton (the city has produced at least eight world champions and two Olympic champions) and HSBC’s focus on the Pearl River Delta.

The HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2018 was an event like no other in history. Beginning with a glitzy red-carpet gala for the opening ceremony and player awards, the entire event had a distinct feel to it, with red courts instead of the traditional green. The profile of the event continued to grow with associated activity, with Guangzhou hosting the launch of the AirBadminton Community Project on the sidelines of the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2019.

The Pandemic Challenge

However, with the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the world in 2020, the BWF decided on a cluster system of tournaments in Bangkok in January 2021 – with two Thailand Opens and the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals 2020 – in a safety bubble. The success of this innovative approach during a challenging time helped the circuit keep going even through the worst of the pandemic. This was also followed for the 2021 season, with Bali hosting three back-to-back events culminating in the Finals.

Return to China

The Finals returned to Bangkok for one more edition in 2022, but with top-level badminton returning to China in 2023, the Finals were to find a new home in Hangzhou, to be held as the culmination of the new 31-event World Tour calendar. Hangzhou, host of the 19^th Asian Games, will host the showpiece over the entire four-year cycle. From the 2023 edition onwards, a record purse of US$2.5 million would be up for grabs.

Hangzhou has sought to push ahead as a sporting city following the successful staging of the Asian Games. BWF, Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government, and Chinese Badminton Association (CBA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in October 2023 to magnify the impact of Hangzhou’s Asian Games experience, to further strengthen the influence of badminton in the city for the foreseeable future.

The MoU signed by BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer will see a proactive collaboration between the parties to not only establish Hangzhou as a hotbed of elite international badminton competitions, headlined each year by the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals, but as a regional hub for promoting and nurturing new badminton talent, utilising the world-class facilities and infrastructure that stand as a legacy from the Asian Games, paired with the existing technical expertise of the BWF and CBA.

For the Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government, this is an opportunity to leverage the prospect of the world’s best players coming to Hangzhou, thereby shaping and fast-tracking the growth and development of its own badminton programme.

As the clock ticks closer to the opening day, the world keenly awaits the spectacle that will unfold in Hangzhou.

Honour Roll at HSBC BWF World Tour Finals

2018, Guangzhou

• MS: 1. Shi Yu Qi (CHN) 2. Kento Momota (JPN)
• WS: 1. Pusarla V Sindhu (IND) 2. Nozomi Okuhara (JPN)
• MD: 1. Li Jun Hui/Liu Yu Chen (CHN) 2. Hiroyuki Endo/Yuta Watanabe (JPN)
• WS: 1. Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi (JPN) 2. Lee So Hee/Shin Seung Chan (KOR)
• XD: 1. Wang Yi Lyu/Huang Dong Ping (CHN) 2. Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong (CHN)

2019, Guangzhou

• MS: 1. Kento Momota (JPN) 2. Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (INA)
• WS: 1. Chen Yu Fei (CHN) 2. Tai Tzu Ying (TPE)
• MD: 1. Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan (INA) 2. Hiroyuki Endo/Yuta Watanabe (JPN)
• WD: 1. Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan (CHN) 2. Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara (JPN)
• XD: 1. Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong (CHN) 2. Wang Yi Lyu/Huang Dong Ping (CHN)

2020, Bangkok

• MS: 1. Anders Antonsen (DEN) 2. Viktor Axelsen (DEN)
• WS: 1. Tai Tzu Ying (TPE) 2. Carolina Marin (ESP)
• MD: 1. Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin (TPE) 2. Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan (INA)
• WD: 1. Lee So Hee/Shin Seung Chan (KOR) 2. Kim So Yeong/Kong Hee Yong (KOR)
• XD: 1. Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai (THA) 2. Seo Seung Jae/Chae Yu Jung (KOR)

2021, Bali

• MS: 1. Viktor Axelsen (DEN) 2. Kunlavut Vitidsarn (THA)
• WS: 1. An Se Young (KOR) 2. Pusarla V Sindhu (IND)
• MD: 1. Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi (JPN) 2. Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (INA)
• WD: 1. Kim So Yeong/Kong Hee Yong (KOR) 2. Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida (JPN)
• XD: 1. Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai (THA) 2. Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino (JPN)

2022, Bangkok

• MS: 1. Viktor Axelsen (DEN) 2. Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (INA)
• WS: 1. Akane Yamaguchi (JPN) 2. Tai Tzu Ying (TPE)
• MD: 1. Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi (CHN) 2. Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan (INA)
• WD: 1. Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan (CHN) 2. Benyapa Aimsaard/Nuntakarn Aimsaard (THA)
• XD: 1. Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong (CHN) 2. Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai (THA)