Age and Gender Demographics of Amateur Badminton Participation in Chongqing, China: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 5,502 Tournament Participants

Wei  Zou; Changhai  Xue

doi:10.54691/v0vsg982

Authors

Wei Zou
Changhai Xue

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/v0vsg982

Keywords:

Badminton; amateur sport; age distribution; gender disparity; mass participation; China; youth sport.

Abstract

Background: Badminton ranks among the most widely practiced sports in China, yet systematic demographic investigations of amateur tournament participants remain scarce. This cross-sectional study analyzes 5,502 unique participants across 40 amateur badminton tournaments held in Chongqing, Chinas largest municipality, between 2023 and 2025.Methods: Participant data were extracted from official tournament registration records with rigorous deduplication using national ID numbers. Variables included age, sex, event type, team affiliation, tournament category, and ranking.Results: Mean age was 17.16 years (SD = 8.73, median = 15, mode = 14). Minors (≤18 years) comprised 65.82% (n = 3,621). Males outnumbered females 3,508 vs. 1,994 (ratio 1.76:1). Children (5-12) accounted for 23.34%, adolescents (13-18) 42.48%, and young adults (19-25) 21.45%. The gender gap peaked in the 13-18 group (M:F = 2.10:1), narrowed to parity at 46-55 (1.00:1), and reversed at 56-65 (0.69:1). Only 23 participants (0.42%) were aged 56+. School-level tournaments contributed 45.9% of all participants. Conclusions: This first large-scale demographic profile of amateur badminton in Southwest China reveals a youth-dominated structure with significant female underrepresentation and steep participation decline after age 25.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] Chen, Z., Imai, K., Ding, B., et al. (2026). The epidemiology of premenstrual syndrome and sports injuries among national level adolescent female badminton athletes. Healthcare, 14(6), 778.

[2] Crane, J., & Temple, V. (2015). A systematic review of dropout from organized sport among children and youth. European Physical Education Review, 21(1), 114 131.

[3] European Badminton Union. (2022). Badminton in Europe: Participation and Development Report 2022. EBU.

[4] Gaikwad, S. S., Pradhan, D. K., Mohankumar, P., et al. (2026). Prevalence and biomechanical analysis of knee valgus and knee flexion angle among badminton players. Niger Postgrad Med J, 33(2), 256 261.

[5] General Administration of Sport of China. (2021). 2020 National Fitness Activity Status Survey Bulletin. GASC.

[6] Li, Q., Ma, H., Mu, Z., et al. (2026). The characteristics of depression and sleep status among elite Chinese badminton athletes. Acta Psychologica, 264, 106564.

[7] National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2024). China Statistical Yearbook 2024. China Statistics Press.

[8] Stamm, H., Lamprecht, M., & Fischer, A. (2024). Racket sports and health: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 54(3), 587 609.

[9] Wei, C., An, J., Lin, Y., et al. (2026). The effects of 8 weeks of repeated sprint training on college badminton players. PeerJ, 14, e21111.

[10] World Health Organization. (2020). WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. WHO.

[11] Yu, J., Lu, Y., & Zhao, Y. (2026). Adolescent sports participation and social class health inequalities: Evidence from CHNS. Frontiers in Public Health, 14, 1791550.

[12] Zhao, Z., Liu, J., & Kawashima, K. (2026). From feminine leisure to urban craze: The popularization of badminton in Republican Shanghai. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 8, 1717411.