OREANDA-NEWS. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced a major partnership with Chinese motoring giant Chery Automobile today at the ongoing BWF Sudirman Cup. 

At the official press conference for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today, Mr Nigel Skelt (BWF Council Member and Chair of BWF Marketing Committee), Mr Thomas Lund (BWF Secretary General and Chief Operations Officer), Mr Zhou Biren (Vice-President of Chery Automobile Co., Ltd) and Mr Zhang Guibing (General Manager of Chery International, and Chery International’s Vice President), were on hand to formally ink the partnership agreement for Chery to become an “Official Partner of BWF” for major games. 

 At present, the BWF has lined up four major international badminton tournaments, namely the Thomas and Uber Cup, Sudirman Cup and World Championships.

 World No.1 men singles shuttler, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, as well as Chinese and International media were present to witness this special occasion.

 The official signing signifies the start of a strategic partnership between BWF and Chery Automobile. This partnership marks the very first time that a Chinese automobile brand is establishing a tactical cooperation with an international sports federation. This indicates another major milestone for Chery. Through this partnership, Chery aims to increase worldwide brand awareness through the influence of BWF.

 “We are aware of the significance of this partnership – being the first occasion that a Chinese automobile brand is establishing a strategic agreement with an international sports federation. We believed that this will be a win-win partnership for both organizations as well,” said Mr Skelt.

 Mr Skelt continues, “We are already seeing the prominence of similar principles between BWF and Chery with a shared passion for badminton and the desire to promote and spread core values associated with the sport such as excellence, professionalism, integrity and equality.”

 Speaking at the press conference, Zhou pointed out the importance for Chery to expand and grow its influence globally. He pointed out that Chery’s brand DNA, i.e “Perseverance, Optimism, Sharing” is in line with the sport’s characteristics, which is to pursue excellence, never give up and to exceed self-limits.

 Mr Zhou mentioned, “Our products are sold in over 80 countries and regions around the world. Sales accumulated overseas have amounted to more than 800,000 units. I believe that with this collaboration with BWF who has significant influence on the global market, it will be an added push factor for Chery towards international development.”

 During the Sudirman Cup competition, Chery Automobile will be sponsoring 10 cars, including the brand new Chery Tiggo, as official vehicles for the event. In conjunction with this collaboration, Chery also announced that the "Chery Badminton Championship" will kicks off simultaneously in China, with the final winners standing a chance to battle it out with the world bests.

About BWF

 The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the world governing body for the sport of badminton.
 The BWF is empowered by the IOC and the BWF’s 179 Members to govern the sport of badminton worldwide.

 BWF's main focus is regulating, promoting, managing and developing the sport worldwide. This can only be achieved in partnership with a range of stakeholders, the most important of which are BWF Members, the five Continential Confederations and BWF's commercial and media partners.