In a surprising development that shocked badminton fans worldwide, the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) official YouTube channel mysteriously vanished from public view during the Macau Open semi-finals on Saturday, August 2.
The sudden disappearance, reportedly due to a hacking incident, occurred just as two key matches on Court Two were set to be livestreamed. Among them were the women’s doubles clash between Indonesia’s Meilysa Puspitasari-Rachel Rose and Taiwan’s Hsieh Pei-shan-Hung En-tzu, as well as the all-Malaysian men’s doubles showdown featuring Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King against Choong Hon Jian-Muhammad Haikal Nazri.
Despite the disruption in coverage, Pei-shan-En-tzu and Arif-Roy King triumphed in their respective matches to secure spots in the finals. However, the inability to stream the matches live left many fans disappointed and frustrated.
In an official statement released via social media, the BWF confirmed the issue, explaining: “The official BWF YouTube channel is currently experiencing technical difficulties and is temporarily hidden for security reasons. We are working with Google to restore all access and functionality as soon as possible.”
With over 3.42 million subscribers and a content library exceeding 21,000 videos, the BWF YouTube channel serves as a key digital platform for live matches, player interviews, and highlight reels. Its sudden disappearance underscores the vulnerability of even the most prominent sports organizations to cybersecurity threats.
Fans are now eagerly awaiting updates, hoping for a swift resolution ahead of upcoming tournament coverage.
