The world’s best badminton players are competing for a share of a USD1.5 million prize fund this week as the first HSBC BWF World Tour Finals take place in China.

The event in Guangzhou is the culmination of the World Tour, a series of 26 tournaments in 20 countries and territories around the globe. It also marks the end of the first year of HSBC’s partnership with Badminton World Federation (BWF), the sport’s international governing body.

In the first nine months of 2018, HSBC-sponsored badminton events were broadcast in 46 markets worldwide. Nearly 300,000 spectators attended in person.

Helen Wong, Chief Executive, Greater China, HSBC, said: “We are proud to have helped badminton grow in 2018. This sponsorship has enabled us to connect in a new way with customers and communities in our key markets, including those in Greater China.

“We are also excited to welcome the World Tour Finals to the Pearl River Delta – a strategically important market for HSBC. We look forward to seeing our partnership with the BWF go from strength to strength in the years to come.”

HSBC is committed to sponsoring high-level badminton tournaments as part of its four-year deal. It is also supporting development programmes that will help rising stars to reach their potential.

The bank aims to help develop badminton – already hugely popular in Asia – into a global sport that is accessible to everyone, regardless of their age or ability.