The West Asian Badminton Championships are a series of regional tournaments established by Badminton Asia to elevate the sport’s popularity and crown top players across senior and junior divisions, Wikipedia reported. Inaugurated in Beirut, the competition provides a platform for players in West Asia to participate in categories across various age brackets.
Badminton Asia launched regional youth championships in Beirut
Badminton Asia conceptualized the regional championship circuit specifically to cultivate grassroots interest and competitive depth in West Asian nations. The inaugural tournament took place in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 9, 2018, featuring under-17 (U-17) and under-15 (U-15) categories, according to local reports cited by Wikipedia. Amman, Jordan, followed by hosting the second edition of the youth championships in 2019, drawing significant regional participation such as a second-place team finish for Saudi Arabia’s youth squad, as documented by the Jordan Olympic Committee and the Saudi Press Agency.
Expansion into U-23 and Junior Categories
Over subsequent years, the tournaments expanded to include a wider spectrum of age classifications. Host duties rotated through multiple regional hubs, including Riffa in Bahrain (2021), Kuwait City (2022), Erbil in Iraq (2023), and Muscat in Oman (2024). The 2025 schedule brought the U-23 championships and a return of the U-17 and U-15 youth events to Erbil, Iraq, which staged six dedicated events. The expanding competition format now encompasses both individual draws and team events introduced for the 2025 cycle.
Manama hosts six core events in 2026
The regional governing body established Manama, Bahrain, as a primary host city for the 2026 calendar, programming the U-23 championships, the U-19 and U-18 junior championships, and the U-17, U-16, and U-15 youth events. The 2026 Manama fixtures feature six core events spanning men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles competitions.
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