The All England: The Pre-War Years
The world’s oldest tournament, the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships, is celebrating its 109th edition in its 121st year (twelve editions were lost due to the two World Wars). A brief overview of its…
· DEV SUKUMAR
The world’s oldest tournament, the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships, is celebrating its 109th edition in its 121st year (twelve editions were lost due to the two World Wars). A brief overview of its long journey:
Broadly speaking, the All England had two distinct trajectories in its history. The first was its development from the turn of the century until the second World War featuring the exploits of a number of home-grown champions. The second was the post-War period when it became attractive to increasing numbers of overseas players, thereby becoming the unofficial world championships until 1977.
In 1898, Guildford BC staged the first-ever badminton tournament; it was so successful that the Badminton Association (of England) conducted a one-day event the next year in the drill hall of the London Scottish Rifles at Buckingham Gate, London, on 4th April. This event only had three doubles.