National badminton team representing Moldova
Moldova |
| Association | Federația Moldovenească de Badminton
(MBF) |
|---|
| Confederation | BE (Europe) |
|---|
| President | Marian Stan |
|---|
|
| Current ranking | 108  3 (2 January 2024) |
|---|
| Highest ranking | 71 (2 July 2019) |
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The Moldova national badminton team (Moldovan: Echipa Moldovenească de badminton; Екипа Молдовеняскэ де бадминтон) represents Moldova in international badminton team competitions.[1] It is controlled by the Moldovan Badminton Federation (MBF). The Moldovan junior badminton team competed in the BWF World Junior Championships in 2016 and finished in 50th place.[2][3]
History
Badminton was first introduced to Moldova in 1965 when several exchange students from Laos brought the sport to the country which soon attracted the attention of Moldovan professors who then initiated badminton training camps in Moldova.[4] In the 1970s, more badminton schools were opened in Moldova and Moldovan badminton players started to compete in inter-republican badminton championships. The Moldovan badminton team were one of the few Soviet republics that competed in the USSR National Badminton Team Championships.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Moldovan Badminton Federation was later found in 1992 and the Moldovan team started to compete in international team events, one of which being the Balkan Badminton Championships.[5]
Mixed team
Moldova debuted in the 1999 Balkan Badminton Championships in Argostoli, Greece. In the mixed team event, the team placed fourth in the championships.[6] In 2010, Moldova competed in the 2010 Balkan Badminton Championships. The team lost the third place tie to Romania.[7][8] In the 2012 Balkan Badminton Championships, the team lost to Romania in the bronze medal tie for a second time to finish in fourth place.[9]
The Moldovan team took part in the 2019 European Mixed Team Badminton Championships qualifiers. The team hosted the qualifiers and were grouped with Scotland, Ukraine and Russia.[10] The team did not qualify after losing their matches against their opponents and finishing on the bottom of the group.[11][12][13]
