A Revolution for the Season Finale
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…
· DEV SUKUMAR
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.