Badminton Scholarships

Elite and International Scholarships

Badminton has been around for thousands of years, but has predominantly been thought of as a leisurely backyard recreation.Competitive badminton is, in fact, the fastest racket sport there is.

The International Badminton Federation (IBF) was formed in 1934 with nine members: Canada, Denmark, France, Netherlands, England, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The United States joined four years later. Membership increased steadily over the next few years with a surge in new members after the Olympic Games debut at Barcelona in 1992, and its popular return in Atlanta in 1996.

Unfortunately, the  NCAA dropped badminton as an Emerging Sport for Women in 2009. Elite scholarships for Olympians are still available, as well as some programs through individual schools. Internationally, badminton is still very popular, and study abroad may be financed.

Find College Scholarship Money that Puts You on a Badminton Court

If you want to play badminton your winning combination will likely include a solid academic record. Score a good merit scholarship at a school with a competitive badminton team and you have the best of both worlds. Find the schools that support badminton players financially. Talk to your local badminton club to see if they can recommend you to some of the institutes. Compete in various national level badminton competitions to be recognized as a qualified player, and actively market yourself to colleges as an upcoming player to get the scholarship money.

Olympic Scholarships-Elite Badminton

 Olympic Solidarity  is the organization responsible for distributing the share of television revenue from the Olympic Games that is allocated to National Olympic Committees (NOCs). It assists NOCs and Continental Associations to develop sport through programmes which are based on specific development needs.

Here is a brief overview of the Olympic Solidarity programs that are important for national badminton associations.

All athlete members of the USA Badminton Association may apply for the Olympic Scholarship for Athletes. These scholarships are awarded in conjunction with a timeline of preparation for upcoming Olympic events. Award recipients are given financial assistance, an opportunity to train at an Olympic training center, and other appealing perks. Any athlete interested in obtaining one of these scholarships must plan well in advance; they are not awarded annually.

International Badminton Scholarships

Badminton is hot in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and India. So, we’ve assembled a short list of some of the best scholarship deals you’ll find outside the U.S. Some awards are through schools; and others are through corporations and charitable or private organizations.

Here’s a tip: If you’re vying to be an elite badminton athlete attending school outside the U.S. may be your best bet.

• In the UK, badminton scholarships are available through Bournemouth University, located just south of London, or the University of Ulster athletic scholarships program in Northern Ireland.
• In Canada, you can check out Black Knight and Badminton BC scholarships or the Colin Hood OFSAA School Sport Award.
• In New Zealand and Australia, respectively, look for good badminton scholarships out of the well-known Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship Programme and the University of New South Wales Sports Scholarship.
• The Indian Oil Sports Scholarship is an Indian based award program that provides financial sponsorship to a limited array of sports, including badminton. Indian Oil is a corporate sponsor.