The Central American nation had the distinction of staging the landmark edition of the global grassroots initiative which has spread badminton to all five continents.

First piloted in Tonga in late 2011, "Shuttle Time" has been embraced by BWF member associations as the primary means of growing the sport among schoolchildren.

It is said to allow teachers and tutors to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to introduce badminton in a safe, fun and inclusive manner.

To date, there have been 17 implementations in Africa, 25 in Asia, 27 in Europe, eight in Oceania and 23 in Pan America.

This includes partnerships with the International Olympic Committee at its Sport for Hope Centres in Haiti and Zambia.

The number has exceeded the BWF’s initial goal of establishing "Shuttle Time" in 30 countries by the end of 2015 and, with resources now available in 17 languages, it is hoped the initiative will continue to aid badminton’s development.

"This is a fantastic milestone for BWF," said BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer.

"We’re very proud.

"We’ve received great support, and the programme has proved to be easily implementable.

"It’s amazing that we’ve reached 100 implementations.

"The big success of Shuttle Time is that it has brought a lot of schools into badminton.

"The structure of the programme is easy for PE (physical education) teachers to learn and implement, so there has been huge support from Governments and BWF member countries."

Elvys Villareal, President of the Panama Badminton Association President, said the country "is delighted to be part of the BWF Shuttle Time family - particularly the 100th country".

"This makes it extra special," he added.

"Our aim is to grow badminton nationally and, through partnerships with schools and Panama University, Shuttle Time will help us to achieve this goal.

"We thank the BWF and Badminton Pan Am for their support and look forward to the future of badminton in Panama."

BWF secretary general, Thomas Lund, highlighted the major contribution of BWF Member Associations and other stakeholders in what he described as a "fantastic achievement".

He also saluted developed badminton countries for embracing the BWF Equipment Donation Project which supports "Shuttle Time".

The initiative aims to give under privileged children worldwide the opportunity to get involved in playing badminton.