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2017 was definitely a year when the all-time badminton greats shone while the newbie players made a name for themselves. Many powerhouses in badminton had already been established as the premier countries for this fast-paced sport. However, new countries also emerged to challenge the status quo, making the year-end Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) ranking quite an exciting one!
End of the Year 2017: The Top 10 Countries in Badminton
Among over 170 BWF member countries, ten had the most number of participants in the World Rankings across five categories at the end of 2017. From the five continental confederations, namely Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Oceania, which nations dominated the world of badminton?
- China – 13
- Japan – 8
- Korea – 5
- Denmark – 4
- India – 4
- Chinese Taipei – 4
- Thailand – 4
- Indonesia – 3
- Hong Kong China – 2
- Malaysia – 1
- Spain – 1
- Russia – 1
- England – 1
China has continued to be the country with some of the best badminton players worldwide, with many of them making it to the top ten in the world rankings. Legendary names, such as Chen Long, Chen Qing Chen, Jia Yi Fan, and Huang Dong Ping, made 2017 a great year for Chinese badminton. Japan has also been one of the most consistent countries in recent years, with Akane Yamaguchi, Misaki Matsutomo, and Ayaka Takahashi leading the way in 2017.
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BWF Sudirman Cup 2017
The Sudirman Cup, the World Mixed Team Championships that takes place every two years, also had some fantastic results in 2017. The tournament was hosted by Australia, with China as the top country with the most number of participants in the top ten rankings according to points.
- China – 8
- Chinese Taipei – 4
- Japan – 4
- Malaysia – 4
- Korea – 4
- Denmark – 4
- Thailand – 4
- Australia – 4
- India – 3
- Vietnam – 3
Check out these tables to get a closer look at the top countries in the BWF Sudirman Cup 2017 for every category:
Men’s Singles
| RANK | Country and Player | Points |
| 1 | Malaysia LEE Chong Wei | 27047.7782 |
| 2 | China CHEN Long | 23736.5158 |
| 3 | Korea SON Wan Ho | 22575.1276 |
| 4 | Denmark Viktor AXELSEN | 21931.6584 |
| 5 | Chinese Taipei CHOU Tien Chen | 19098.5414 |
| 6 | China LIN Dan | 14449.1999 |
| 7 | Thailand Tanongsak SAENSOMBOONSUK | 10779.227 |
| 8 | Vietnam Tien Minh NGUYEN | 10275.4715 |
| 9 | India KIDAMBI Srikanth | 9725.122 |
| 10 | Scotland Kieran MERRILEES | 8268.2686 |
Women’s Singles
| RANK | Country and Player | Points |
| 1 | Korea SUNG Jihyun | 38859.2771 |
| 2 | Chinese Taipei TAI Tzu Ying | 30552.7247 |
| 3 | Thailand Ratchanok INTANON | 17853.9461 |
| 4 | Japan Akane YAMAGUCHI | 16170.0297 |
| 5 | India PUSARLA V. Sindhu | 15818.1467 |
| 6 | China SUN Yu | 13759.928 |
| 7 | Scotland Kirsty GILMOUR | 13752 |
| 8 | Japan Nozomi OKUHARA | 11371.7444 |
| 9 | Vietnam Thi Trang (B) VU | 9892.99 |
| 10 | Australia Hsuan-Yu Wendy CHEN | 8605.9892 |
Men’s Doubles
| RANK | Country and Player | Points |
| 1 | Japan Takeshi KAMURA Keigo SONODA | 29688.6806 |
| 2 | Malaysia TAN Wee Kiong GOH V Shem | 21883.9984 |
| 3 | China FU Haifeng ZHANG Nan | 21210.977 |
| 4 | New Zealand Kevin DENNERLY-MINTURN Oliver LEYDON-DAVIS | 20938.4134 |
| 5 | Denmark Mathias BOE Carsten MOGENSEN | 16396.7622 |
| 6 | Indonesia Marcus Fernaldi GIDEON Kevin Sanjaya SUKAMULJO | 16218.42 |
| 7 | China LI Jun Hui LIU Yu Chen | 16174.3623 |
| 8 | Australia Matthew CHAU Sawan SERASINGHE | 12155.2059 |
| 9 | Chinese Taipei LEE Yang LEE Jhe-Huei | 10735.3886 |
| 10 | Thailand Bodin ISARA | 10708.1404 |
Women’s Doubles
| RANK | Country and Player | Points |
| 1 | Japan Ayaka TAKAHASHI Misaki MATSUTOMO | 37911.1894 |
| 2 | Denmark Christinna PEDERSEN Kamilla Rytter JUHL | 25744.2541 |
| 3 | Korea CHANG Ye Na LEE So Hee | 24970.8829 |
| 4 | China CHEN Qing Chen JIA Yi Fan | 22724.1664 |
| 5 | Australia Gronya SOMERVILLE Setyana MAPASA | 14383.3661 |
| 6 | Chinese Taipei HSU Ya Ching WU Ti Jung | 11306.4 |
| 7 | Malaysia WOON Khe Wei Vivian HOO | 10153.347 |
| 8 | India Ashwini PONNAPPA REDDY Sikki | 6627.2374 |
| 9 | Thailand Jongkolphan KITITHARAKUL Rawinda PRAJONGJAI | 6018.58 |
| 10 | Macau Weng Chi NG Xue Xin GONG | 5440 |
Mixed Doubles
| RANK | Country and Player | Points |
| 1 | China LU Kai HUANG Ya Qiong | 25889.2 |
| 2 | Korea CHOI Sol Gyu CHAE Yu Jung | 19499.68 |
| 3 | Thailand Sapsiree TAERATTANACHAI Dechapol PUAVARANUKROH | 19256.562 |
| 4 | China CHEN Qing Chen ZHENG Si Wei | 17674.32 |
| 5 | Denmark Joachim FISCHER NIELSEN Christinna PEDERSEN | 13324.83 |
| 6 | Malaysia LAI Pei Jing TAN Kien Meng | 12181.273 |
| 7 | Australia Sawan SERASINGHE Setyana MAPASA | 10955.02 |
| 8 | Vietnam Nhu Thao PHAM Tuan Duc DO | 9889.835 |
| 9 | Singapore TAN Wei Han Jessica HEE Yong Kai Terry | 8525.58 |
| 10 | Japan Arisa HIGASHINO Yuta WATANABE | 8367.716 |
A Look Back: 2016 Badminton Champs
Looking back at the 2016 BWF World Rankings, China still emerged as the badminton powerhouse. The Chinese team topped the rankings with 14 entries in the top ten, more than any other country. Let’s take a look at the nations that made 2016 their year of badminton wins:
- China – 14
- Denmark – 6
- Korea – 5
- Japan – 5
- Indonesia – 5
- Malaysia – 4
- Thailand – 3
- Chinese Taipei – 2
- India – 2
- Hong Kong China – 1
- *Spain – 1
- *Russia – 1
- *England – 1
As we can see, many countries failed to maintain their 2016 positions, but others stepped up their game. Chinese Taipei saw a noticeable increase in its badminton rankings, as well as India and Vietnam. Check out these tables to see how the countries and their players stacked up or fell behind in 2017:
Men’s Singles
| RANK | 2016 | 2017 |
| 1 | Malaysia LEE Chong Wei | Denmark Viktor AXELSEN |
| 2 | Denmark Jan O JORGENSEN | Malaysia LEE Chong Wei |
| 3 | Denmark Viktor AXELSEN | India KIDAMBI Srikanth |
| 4 | Korea SON Wan Ho | China CHEN Long |
| 5 | China CHEN Long | Korea SON Wan Ho |
| 6 | China LIN Dan | China LIN Dan |
| 7 | China TIAN Houwei | Chinese Taipei CHOU Tien Chen |
| 8 | Chinese Taipei CHOU Tien Chen | China SHI Yu Qi |
| 9 | Hong Kong China NG Ka Long Angus | Hong Kong China NG Ka Long Angus |
| 10 | China SHI Yu Qi | India PRANNOY H.S. |
Women’s Singles
| RANK | 2016 | 2017 |
| 1 | Chinese Taipei TAI Tzu Ying | Chinese Taipei TAI Tzu Ying |
| 2 | Spain Carolina MARIN | Japan Akane YAMAGUCHI |
| 3 | Korea SUNG Jihyun | India PUSARLA V. Sindhu |
| 4 | China SUN Yu | Spain Carolina MARIN |
| 5 | Thailand Ratchanok INTANON | Thailand Ratchanok INTANON |
| 6 | India PUSARLA V. Sindhu | Korea SUNG Jihyun |
| 7 | Japan Akane YAMAGUCHI | Japan Nozomi OKUHARA |
| 8 | China LI Xue Rui | China CHEN Yu Fei |
| 9 | China HE Bing Jiao | China HE Bing Jiao |
| 10 | India Saina NEHWAL | India Saina NEHWAL |
Men’s Doubles
| RANK | 2016 | 2017 |
| 1 | Malaysia GOH V Shem TAN Wee Kiong | Indonesia Marcus Fernaldi GIDEON Kevin Sanjaya SUKAMULJO |
| 2 | Indonesia Marcus Fernaldi GIDEON Kevin Sanjaya SUKAMULJO | Denmark Mathias BOE Carsten MOGENSEN |
| 3 | Japan Takeshi KAMURA Keigo SONODA | China LI Jun Hui LIU Yu Chen |
| 4 | Denmark Mathias BOE Carsten MOGENSEN | China LIU Cheng ZHANG Nan |
| 5 | China CHAI Biao HONG Wei | Japan Takeshi KAMURA Keigo SONODA |
| 6 | China LI Jun Hui LIU Yu Chen | Denmark Mads CONRAD-PETERSEN Mads Pieler KOLDING |
| 7 | Indonesia Angga PRATAMA Ricky KARANDASUWARDI | Chinese Taipei LEE Jhe-Huei LEE Yang |
| 8 | Denmark Mads CONRAD-PETERSEN Mads Pieler KOLDING | Russia Vladimir IVANOV Ivan SOZONOV |
| 9 | Russia Vladimir IVANOV Ivan SOZONOV | Chinese Taipei CHEN Hung Ling WANG Chi-Lin |
| 10 | China FU Haifeng ZHANG Nan | Japan Takuto INOUE Yuki KANEKO |
Women’s Doubles
| RANK | 2016 | 2017 |
| 1 | Japan Misaki MATSUTOMO Ayaka TAKAHASHI | China CHEN Qing Chen JIA Yi Fan |
| 2 | Denmark Kamilla Rytter JUHL Christinna PEDERSEN | Japan Misaki MATSUTOMO Ayaka TAKAHASHI |
| 3 | Korea JUNG Kyung Eun SHIN Seung Chan | Denmark Kamilla Rytter JUHL Christinna PEDERSEN |
| 4 | Korea CHANG Ye Na LEE So Hee | Japan Yuki FUKUSHIMA Sayaka HIROTA |
| 5 | Indonesia Nitya Krishinda MAHESWARI Greysia POLII | Korea CHANG Ye Na LEE So Hee |
| 6 | China CHEN Qing Chen JIA Yi Fan | Japan Shiho TANAKA Koharu YONEMOTO |
| 7 | China LUO Ying LUO Yu | Japan Naoko FUKUMAN Kurumi YONAO |
| 8 | Japan Naoko FUKUMAN Kurumi YONAO | Korea JUNG Kyung Eun SHIN Seung Chan |
| 9 | Japan Shizuka MATSUO Mami NAITO | China YU Xiao Han HUANG Ya Qiong |
| 10 | Thailand Puttita SUPAJIRAKUL Sapsiree TAERATTANACHAI | Thailand Jongkolphan KITITHARAKUL Rawinda PRAJONGJAI |
Mixed Doubles
| RANK | 2016 | 2017 |
| 1 | China ZHENG Si Wei CHEN Qing Chen | China ZHENG Si Wei CHEN Qing Chen |
| 2 | Korea KO Sung Hyun KIM Ha Na | China LU Kai HUANG Ya Qiong |
| 3 | Indonesia Tontowi AHMAD Liliyana NATSIR | Indonesia Tontowi AHMAD Liliyana NATSIR |
| 4 | Denmark Joachim FISCHER NIELSEN Christinna PEDERSEN | China WANG Yi Lyu HUANG Dong Ping |
| 5 | Indonesia Praveen JORDAN Debby SUSANTO | England Chris ADCOCK Gabrielle ADCOCK |
| 6 | Malaysia CHAN Peng Soon GOH Liu Ying | China ZHANG Nan LI Yin Hui |
| 7 | China LU Kai HUANG Ya Qiong | Indonesia Praveen JORDAN Debby SUSANTO |
| 8 | England Chris ADCOCK Gabrielle ADCOCK | Hong Kong China TANG Chun Man TSE Ying Suet |
| 9 | Malaysia TAN Kien Meng LAI Pei Jing | Korea SEO Seung Jae KIM Ha Na |
| 10 | Thailand Bodin ISARA Savitree AMITRAPAI | Thailand Dechapol PUAVARANUKROH Sapsiree TAERATTANACHAI |
2017 Countries at the Top of the Badminton Heap
Ten badminton go-getters stepped it up in 2017 and landed at the top of the ranks, making the sport more competitive and thrilling than ever. Let’s explore how the following champion countries have easily shown their dominance all year:
China
It’s no surprise that China is at the forefront of badminton rankings, especially when they have legends like Chen Long and Lin Dan. The team had top rankers in every category, owning women’s and mixed doubles with Chen Qing Chen, Jia Yi Fan, and Zheng Si Wei. China’s high-flying players had been consistent throughout the year, making them the go-to country for badminton devotees.
Japan
Japan followed behind China in the badminton rankings with their own champions. The country has Akane Yamaguchi and Nozomi Okuhara and six dynamic doubles pairs who held their own in the courts. Japan may have fallen short in men’s singles and mixed doubles, but they made up for it with strong winning streaks in other categories.
Korea
Son Wan Ho led Korean badminton in men’s singles and Sung Jihyun in women’s. The country didn’t reach the top ten in men’s doubles but had two entries in women’s doubles. As a result, Korea was able to maintain its rank in 2017.
Denmark
Viktor Axelsen may have been their lone hope in men’s singles, but Denmark made up for it with strong performances from its men’s and women’s doubles teams. Mathias Boe, Carsten Mogensen, Mads Conrad-Petersen, and Mads Pieler Kolding held their ground in men’s doubles. At the same time, Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl ranked third in women’s doubles. Denmark has consistently been in the badminton world rankings for years, and 2017 was no exception.
India
If there’s a country that really triumphed in badminton in 2017, it’s India. Despite not having a presence in doubles, many singles players joined the top-ranking badminton players. In 2016, India had no name in men’s singles, but the country rose to ranks three and ten in 2017. Pusarla V. Sindhu also advanced from sixth to third, overtaking the previous year’s champions.
Chinese Taipei
Tai Tzu Ying, one of the world’s best badminton players, hails from Chinese Taipei, and she kept her ranking as first in women’s singles in 2017. What the country lacked in women’s and mixed doubles, it also more than made up for with its men’s singles and doubles. In 2016, the country had no entry for men’s doubles top ten, but it had two in 2017, ranked seventh and ninth.
Thailand
Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon had reigned first in women’s singles since 2016, and she continued her streak to the following year. Her performance reinforced Thai badminton as one of the world’s strongest. The country also ranked tenth in women’s and mixed doubles, which solidified its spot as a top badminton country.
Indonesia
The 2017 rankings saw Indonesia come out on top, with Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo owning the men’s doubles title. The country had two entries in the women’s doubles top ten, ranking third and seventh. Together, these results highlighted Indonesia’s prowess in badminton.
Hong Kong China
Hong Kong China showed its strength in the sport by securing ninth place on the men’s singles list and eighth in mixed doubles. The country barely joined the top ten in 2016, making its 2017 status a strong achievement. It was its stepping stone toward a more promising future in badminton.
Malaysia
Malaysia completed the top ten badminton countries of 2017. Its performance in 2016 was much better, but it still ranked in the top ten with its success in the men’s singles by Lee Chong Wei. He ranked second in the world and maintained Malaysia’s presence in the world of badminton.
2017 Cream of the Crop Badminton Players
Behind a country’s success in badminton are its talented players. Which names rang the loudest in 2017?
Men’s Singles: Viktor Axelsen
Viktor Axelsen is no longer a stranger to the international badminton scene. This Danish player is a sensation, playing his way up to the top of the world rankings and winning many games in 2017. He only further cemented his name as a force to be reckoned with.
Women’s Singles: Tai Tzu Ying
Tai Tzu Ying may be small, but she is a giant among women’s singles badminton players. Her incredible strategy and agility make her one of the most feared competitors out there, with outstanding results to back it up.
Men’s Doubles: Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo
Indonesia’s most successful pair in the 2017 badminton season, Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, were unstoppable. They performed consistently well in major tournaments and were crowned the world champions for their impressive achievements.
Women’s Doubles: Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan
The Chinese duo of Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan was also on fire in 2017. From being sixth at the end of 2016, they climbed up to the number one spot in the rankings! The two had an impeccable run with their perfect combination of speed, power, and composure.
Mixed Doubles: Zheng Si Wei and Chen Qing Chen
Chen Qing Chen also accompanied Zheng Si Wei in making their presence again felt in the 2017 mixed doubles world ranking. The two maintained their first-place ranking from the previous year and showed no signs of slowing down.
A Year for Badminton Legends and Rising Stars
2017 was the year of long-time veterans and rising stars, ending with a list of countries spanning all parts of the world. Badminton only kept getting increasingly popular, introducing new names and reestablishing old ones.
China didn’t let go of its reign, celebrating over ten entries in the top ten rankings among all categories. The South-East Asian countries had an equally strong presence, with India earning the most significant leap forward.
Many countries also had their moment in the spotlight, making the map of badminton countries even more diverse. 2017 was a continuation of success for some and a breakthrough for others!
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