Tuesday, January 17, 2012 - Badminton World Federation | Badminton Photo (archives)

In the top 10 rankings of the 5 disciplines of the sport, the Europeans have scooped 24 spots, with the Asians edging out with 26 spots.

The mixed doubles see a clear European domination, while the other 4 disciplines see a rather even distribution between the two continents.

Unlike the senior stage where the Asians dominate the top tier of the ranking tables, the junior ranking table also reveals the development strength in countries with less presence on the senior stage such as Turkey and Slovenia.

Boys singles top shot, Denmark's Viktor Axelsen is already a household name in the Scandinavian country, but the 2010 BWF Promising Player of the Year lost his 2011 World Junior crown to Malaysia's Zulfadli Zulkiffli 

Despite the loss, Axelsen has had a remarkable 2011 claiming top senior players 2004 Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat and now-retired Chinese star Bao Chunlai to his name.

While Zulfadli, who became the first Malaysian to win a World Junior boys singles title, was also named the 2011 BWF Promising Player of the Year. This proves to be an encouraging sign for Malaysia as the Southeast Asian nation searches for a successor for reigning World Number 1, Lee Chong Wei.

The strength of the girls singles ranking table can be felt with the top three girls - Ratchanok Inthanon, P. V Sindhu, and Carolina Marin  - already creating waves on the senior stage.

Ratchanok and Carolina are also in good standing to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The Thai sensation picked up her first Grand Prix Gold title in India last December and has beaten Chinese ace Wang Shixian on her home soil in November. While Carolina has also beaten top players like Yao Jie and Eriko Hirose at the 2011 World Championships in London.