BWF World Championships 2026: Swedish Shuttler Highligts the Roller-Coster Journey Of Racquet Sport

BWF World Championships 2026: Whenever there is talk of Badminton in Europe, Denmark has stood out. The next shuttling destinations which come up is England, but Sweden does not feature even in the wildest of dreams.

But the situation has not been so dire in the state in the past. Speaking exclusively to myKhel on the sidelines of the BWF World Championship, Karlborg spoke about playing at such a big tournament and the status of Swedish badminton.

According to Filip Karlborg, a Swedish badminton shuttler who is scheduled to play mixed doubles with Tilda Sjoo, badminton was actually a popular sport in the country, but there is a sudden dip in the popularity of the game.

“20-30 years ago badminton was a really big sport in Sweden. But after that it has dipped a little bit. But I think it’s rising again right now. Now we have a young squad in the national team. Hopefully we will get even more players from younger, older players,” Karlborg added.

One of the major problems highlighted by Karlborg has been the lack of academies in the country at the U-19, U-21, and U14 levels. So, if someone wants to pick the sport, he/she would have to train with a few clubs,s with the national center located in Stockholm, lm to get badminton training. He also added that there is a problem with funding, and mostly players who have a family legacy in the game can play.

“No, under the national center it’s only clubs. Or if you’re studying at a sports university, it’s like an academy. But otherwise it’s clubs,s and if you’re in the national team you practice in a center.”

“[The funding] I don’t known; I think it’s that many players whose parents were playing before only get the chance to progress further majorly. Talking about my entry into the sport, I was living really close to the badminton hall when I was young. So, I just tried badminton, and I really loved it, and it has been that way ever since.”

Playing at the BWF World Championships is a fulfilling experience for any shuttler, allowing them to showcase their talent at the highest level, and Karlborg is no different. “Hopefully I can learn a lot from this experience. But I’m also hoping that I can show which level I’m at.”

In the concluding note, Karlborg also mentioned the renovated Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Having played at the India Open 2025, the Swedish shuttler said the stadium was very clean and nice. “I’m actually really happy with everything around. The stadium is really nice, and it’s clean everywhere.”