In April 2023, BWF and World Academy of Sport (WaoS) announced the beginning of a new cycle of scholarships for the BWF-WAoS Athlete Certificate.
The dual-career programme offers the participants a unique opportunity to continue their studies without giving up their careers, so young athletes between the ages of 15 and 18 eager to gain more knowledge and be successful were encouraged to sign up.
In 2022, 44 female and 70 male active players undertook the Athlete Certificate. BWF received 114 scholarship applications spanning 35 countries, across all five continents from players competing in BWF-sanctioned or national level tournaments. Since 2020, BWF has offered scholarship opportunities to players from diverse cultural backgrounds and is proud to continue providing them to youth to excel in their academics.
While Hanuman Pravish, 18, still has a lot of badminton left in him, the Mauritian has a fallback career in mind. Pravish, a mixed and men’s doubles semifinalist at the All Africa Junior Championship 2022, enrolled into programme the last year.
Pravish with his recent medal haul.
“The course was interesting and helpful. It helped my badminton skills on and off the court. The key for me is discipline, it’s an interesting programme which helps balance sports and studies. All your focus must be on badminton when you are training and the same applies to studying. I’d love a job related to badminton in the future. Coaching is a topic I’m looking forward to uncovering more about.
“Badminton is a sport with so many challenges, moves and tricks. It’s brilliant.”
Malaysian junior player Cheong Kwok Khuen, one of the scholars of the programme in 2020, expressed his gratitude to BWF for the chance to enhance his knowledge.
Cheong (far left) at an event he organised after studying BWF’s Introductory Course on Event Management.
“I’m very thankful to BWF for recommending me the online course because it helped me significantly in organising a workshop encouraging children to learn badminton.”
- This programme was developed by WAoS for aspiring athletes from 15 to 18 years of age who want to gain a broader understanding of the tools needed to successfully manage their sporting careers.
- The course has been designed to be athlete-friendly, in consultation with a number of International Federations, including BWF.
- All applicants need to be in good standing with their National Associations to apply.
Scholarships are open for the BWF WAoS Athlete Certificate Programme. More information here.
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