It has been five years since BWF’s Integrity Unit was formed.
In this time, BWF’s ‘i am badminton’ awareness campaign has been at the forefront of our efforts to communicate our approach to integrity.
Today, we are proud to announce a new role call of global superstars from the World Tour and Para badminton circuit to the list:
- Pusarla V. Sindhu (IND)
- Michelle Li(CAN)
- Zheng Si Wei (CHN)
- Huang Ya Qiong (CHN)
- Jack Shephard (ENG)
- Valeska Knoblauch (GER)
- Chan Ho Yuen Daniel (HKG)
- Marc Zwiebler – Athletes’ Commission Chair (GER)
The campaign provides a platform for which players are able to express their love and respect for badminton by advocating and committing to clean and honest play.
It’s hoped such a concerted effort will not only raise awareness across the entire badminton landscape but encourage players to be active participants in shaping the integrity of the sport.
Pusarla V. Sindhu said playing clean and honest is very important in any sport.
“This message starts with one voice. If we as ambassadors can highlight this, then I think this will spread to more players,” she said.
“You are playing the sport for yourself. You need to be happy about it. You have to play it very clean and that is very important to me.”
Michelle Li added: “Sport provides a great experience and opportunity for the younger generation because you can learn so much and it provides you with a lot of life lessons.
“When we’re on the court, we are all working really hard and trying to go for the same goals, so we all want to be starting from the same starting line.
“Therefore, it’s important to be clean and honest as it is a true representation of your ability.”
The new batch of ambassadors will continue the great work of a number of elite players, past and present, who have fronted the campaign since 2016.
They include BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer; BWF Para Badminton Athletes’ Commission Chair Richard Perot, and superstars such as Saina Nehwal, Viktor Axelsen, Hendra Setiawan, Christinna Pedersen, Chen Long, Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi.
Collectively, they will help to communicate to the playing group the key messages of the campaign and will attend badminton and Para badminton tournaments where they will share with the future generation their commitment to clean and honest badminton.
President Høyer said: “Every player has the right to compete in clean and fair sport. Match fixing, match manipulation and doping are contrary to the spirit of sport.
“As an ambassador, we all play an important role in safeguarding the future of badminton.
“Our youth and Para badminton players are perceived to be at greater risk of match manipulation and doping due to their lack of exposure on the international circuit.
“The idea of the ‘i am badminton’ campaign is for us as role models to share our experiences with these target groups so they have a heightened level of awareness on the importance of anti-match manipulation and anti-doping.”
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