Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Feb 10: In a setback for Indian badminton, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Monday announced that the Syed Modi International tournament has been downgraded from Super 300 to Super 100 for the 2027–2030 World Tour cycle.
Despite facing multiple controversies during its 2026 edition, the India Open has retained its Super 750 status, providing some relief for Indian badminton on the global stage.
The changes come as part of a major restructuring of the BWF World Tour, which also includes the promotion of the Denmark Open from Super 750 to the elite Super 1000 category.
Under the revised six-tier BWF World Tour format, the hierarchy will now comprise:
• BWF World Tour Finals (top-tier event)
• Five Super 1000 tournaments
• Five Super 750 tournaments
• Nine Super 500 tournaments
• Eight Super 300 tournaments
• Eight Super 100 tournaments
Notably, this marks the first time Super 100 events have been officially included in the BWF World Tour, with ranking points from these tournaments now counting towards qualification for the World Tour Finals.
A regular fixture on the international badminton calendar since 2009, the Syed Modi International is named after the legendary Indian shuttler and serves as a tribute to his legacy. The tournament was upgraded to Super 300 status in 2018 and has since attracted several top international players.
India’s double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu won the title as recently as 2024, underlining the tournament’s competitive stature.
Traditionally held at the Babu Banarasi Das Badminton Stadium in Lucknow during the last week of December, the event was known to draw a strong international field, despite occasional challenges posed by foggy and cold weather conditions.
Explaining the downgrade, Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary Sanjay Mishra said the decision was driven by BWF’s intent to expand the sport to newer regions.
“Earlier, around 32 countries had applied to host World Tour events. This time, 56 countries applied, and the number of available tournaments is limited,” Mishra.
“BWF wanted to take the game to new areas. Even China has been allotted only three events. Smaller nations can host Super 100 tournaments as the funding and infrastructure requirements are lower,” he added.
Mishra said India preferred to retain its existing events, but given the circumstances, hosting a Super 100 event in Lucknow was seen as the best option.
“Since we were getting one Super 100, we felt it was appropriate to retain it as the Syed Modi International, one of our oldest tournaments,” he explained.
With the Syed Modi International now remaining India’s only Super 100 event, the Odisha Masters and Guwahati Masters will revert to International Masters status in the new calendar.
The downgrade is expected to impact India’s opportunities to host high-level international badminton, even as administrators hope the revised structure will help expand the sport’s global footprint.