The decision, which also included potentially developing an e-sports format of badminton, was endorsed by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) at a recent Council meeting in Kushan in China.

Badminton is traditionally an indoor sport but BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer believes “badminton must be a part of these worlds in which there is huge potential for our sport to succeed”.

Høyer, a member of the International Olympic Committee, claimed the organisation would “soon be considering formats for outdoor badminton, as well as for beach badminton specifically, with the appropriate courts, regulations and equipment”.

The Dane feels they can follow the likes of volleyball and football in capitalising on the growing popularity of beach sports.

Beach shuttlecock, where participants aim to hit an object called a Jianzi - which translates from Chinese to English as “rock badminton” - over a net using their feet, will feature at this year’s Asian Beach Games in Danang in Vietnam.

Though the sport has its own worldwide governing body - the International Shuttlecock Federation - the BWF hope its exhibition at the fifth edition of the Asian Beach Games, due to take place between September 24 and October 3 and , will allow them to explore the possibility of a beach badminton competition at future events.

"The feedback from such events will certainly help as we look to develop this genre of badminton," Høyer said.

"There are legions of athletes and fans who are into outdoor sport - some beach sport particularly - and it’s an area that’s very attractive commercially.

 “We have seen the emergence of the Beach Soccer World Cup, the Beach Volleyball World Championships and other outdoor or beach formats of various sports.

“In terms of expanding badminton both professionally and recreationally, we have so much to gain from penetrating this sphere.

Høyer added: “It would be great to see badminton being played competitively on beaches, on streets, in parks and other open spaces - but there are a lot of technical aspects we have to get right, especially with the shuttle.

“We have to look at these things first but we are committed to taking badminton outdoors.”

Høyer, an Olympic gold medallist, who was elected as the BWF President in 2013, also believes his sport can “flourish” in the e-gaming market, which is continuing to develop at a rapid pace worldwide.

“We owe it to our sport to tap into [e-gaming] so we can further engage with our many badminton fans,” he said.

“We must keep pace with developments in sport which continue to grow far beyond our traditional sporting environments.

“The internet and social media have challenged our imagination with regards to sport and the e-gaming evolution is constantly rewriting the possibilities of what can be done with and through sport.

“E-gaming is a multi-billion-dollar industry which is run professionally and in which some top players are millionaires.

“There are big tournaments with attractive prize money and thousands of fans engrossed in the action.

“We believe a fast-paced, dynamic sport like badminton can flourish in this marketplace.”