Al Ain (UAE), July 8: Amid vibrant energy and strong community spirit, the Al Ain Masters Community Tour 2025 officially kicked off on Sunday, coinciding with the World Badminton Day celebrations across UAE.
The event – Al Ain Masters World Badminton Day Championship – brought together people of all ages and abilities in a shared celebration of sport, unity, and inclusivity. There was enthusiastic participation from various clubs across UAE, amateur and professional players, Emiratis and UAE’s growing badminton community participating in various categories of badminton events at the Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club.
This was the fourth edition of the World Badminton Day event with celebrations having taken place in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah in the previous years. This is the first time that a community event of this level has been held in the oasis city of Al Ain – an initiative of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council to bring international events to the Emirate and give the residents an unforgettable experience.
The launch of the community tour is also part of the UAE Badminton Federation’s broader efforts to grow the sport at the grassroots level and inspire future generations. The event also served as a countdown to the Al Ain Masters 2025, with just 81 days to go.
Mascot ‘Al Shaheen’ surprises everyone
While Al Shaheen, the mascot of the Al Ain Masters 2025, stole the hearts of everyone at the Club, there were various prominent names including UAE Badminton Federation President Noura Aljasmi, Abu Dhabi Sports Council Director of Operations Khalaf Salem Al Wahidi and Bushra Mohamed, Board member of Abu Dhabi Racket Club who graced the occasion.
The day also celebrated inclusivity alongside the spirit of badminton — with participation from Special Olympics athletes being a standout feature of the celebration.
Altogether 290 players competed in eight events of the Open category, while there were 50 Emiratis who took part in six events and 48 players from Special Olympics and their unified partners competed in one event.
“This is more than just a celebration. It’s a movement to promote badminton as a sport for all. We are proud to see the community come together with such energy and enthusiasm. The event also kick-started our various campaigns and initiatives under the Al Ain Masters umbrella,” said Aljasmi, President of the UAE Badminton Federation.
Aljasmi also pointed out that the diversity among participants reflected the target groups the Federation aims to reach in the future. “Especially those who are passionate about sports because events like these are a key avenue for discovering talent. We are, in essence, working within a system focused on talent identification.”
Al Wahidi, representative from Abu Dhabi Sports Council, expressed his happiness about the initiatives taken by the UAE Badminton Federation including the ‘100-day countdown’ concept leading up to the Al Ain Masters.
“Al Ain has always been known for its active participation in all types of sporting events. We extend our sincere thanks to the UAE Badminton Federation for their outstanding engagement and organization.
“These initiatives serve as a message to our families, encouraging them to try out and practice the sport. It is a highly enjoyable game, full of excitement and interaction. We hope parents will see this as a great opportunity for themselves and their children to get to know the game and try it out. Who knows — perhaps a future champion will emerge from one of our families.”
Exciting Initiative
UAE national team shuttler Abdulaziz Mohamed Yahya, who recently became the first Emirati athlete to win a medal at international circuit in Bulgaria, paired up with his junior partner Hamdan to claim the silver in doubles event. He praised the World Badminton day Championship initiative and was surprised by the impressive turnouts..
“These tournaments are eye-opener for everyone about the competition level, it also gives people an incentive to play, motivates them to train harder and build communities,” said the 16-year-old who along with his partner Riyan Malhan took the boy’s doubles bronze at the Victor Bulgaria Junior Challenge 2025 recently.
Malhan expressed his excitement about playing in the ‘triples’ event — a three-player format popular in AirBadminton — calling it an “exciting initiative” and sharing that he enjoyed it just as much as his senior teammate Dev Ayappan.
The World Badminton Day, observed on July 5 across the world, is a global initiative led by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to promote the sport across all levels of society. Over the years, the UAE has been celebrating the movement with a series of outreach events, community activations, and youth-focused engagements.
The Al Ain Masters 2025, a BWF World Tour Super 100 tournament, will be held from September 30 to October 5, 2025, at the Al Ain Club in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Organised by the UAE Badminton Federation with the support of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the event will host 250 shuttlers from 55 countries aiming for valuable world ranking points in the lead-up to the LA 2028 Olympics.
