The India Open badminton tournament has been upgraded to a BWF Super 750 event from its existing Super 500 status. The change will come into effect starting the 2023 season.
India Open’s elevation in status materialised after the Badminton World Federation (BWF) decided to expand the BWF World Tour from 2023 to 2026. The move will see the number of events on the tour go up to 31, including the season-ending BWF World Tour Finals, from the existing 27.
The number of Super 1000, Super 750 and Super 500 tournaments have also gone up consequently.
The Malaysia Open has been upgraded to join the All England Open, China Open and Indonesia Open as the BWF World Tour’s top-tier Super 1000 events.
The India Open and Singapore Open, meanwhile, have been upgraded to Super 750 status alongside the existing events in China, Denmark, France and Japan.
The upgrade means an increase in prize money as well as the BWF world ranking points on offer from the India Open, which makes it a much more lucrative tournament for top players around the world.
India’s Lakshya Sen had won the 2022 India Open men’s singles title after defeating Singapore’s reigning world champion Loh Kean Yew in the final.
The Super 500 level will see the addition of four new tournaments in Australia, Canada, Finland and Japan. Existing events in Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia and Thailand will maintain their status.
Two existing Super 100 tournaments, the HYLO Open and Orléans Masters, have also been elevated to the BWF World Tour Super 300 level.
“More tournaments give us a fantastic opportunity to enhance the sport’s reach around the world, not only in established territories but into new ones as well,” BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund said.
“It also allows for more players to enter our elite circuit and gain valuable experience," he added.
India Open’s elevated status will be a big boost for badminton in India. Earlier this month, the BWF had also greenlit two lower-level International Challenger tournaments in India’s Nagpur and Raipur, which will be held this September.