Olympic stars to take center stage at Asian Badminton Championships in Dubai – News

India will have their best players, with two-time Olympic medalists PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy leading the challenge

Chinese Olympic champion Chen Yufei. — Reuters

Dubai will host the KhiladiX.com Dubai 2023 Badminton Asia Championships from 25-30 April at the Rashid bin Hamdan Hall at the Al Nasr Club, where Dubai will witness the world’s badminton elite including Olympic and world champions.

This will be the second tournament held in Dubai following the successful hosting of the Badminton Asian Mixed Team Championships in February this year.

The tournament will see some 300 players from 28 countries battle it out for the Intercontinental Championship in addition to the highest points in the BWF World Ranking.

Each main draw will feature 32 players (or pairs), 28 of whom have already been selected and four from the qualifiers that will take place on opening day.

Defending champion Lee Zii Jia (No. 3 seed) from Malaysia and China’s Wang Zhiyi (No. 6 seed) will fight to retain the title, while top players from Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Singapore and India are expected to offer strong challenges.

Other top players include top seed Jonathan Christie, who beat last year’s finalist, and Anthony Ginting (second seed) from Indonesia in the men’s singles, while Japan is world number one. 1 Akane Yamaguchi, top seed and last year’s defeat finalist, Korea’s Ahn Se Young (second seed).

In addition to Wang, the Chinese women’s singles lineup also includes Olympic champion Chen Yufei, who is the third seed.

At the same time, the women’s doubles combination Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan and the mixed doubles combination Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong will play strongly in the doubles, striving to repeat the championship show.

India will have their best players, with two-time Olympic medalists PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy leading the challenge in eighth.

Speaking at the pre-match meeting held by the General Directorate of Sports: Mr. Abdulaziz Husan, Director of the Competitive Sports Department of the General Directorate of Sports, sent his best wishes to the players and visiting teams, except for the UAE national team players.

Continental Representative Jassem Kanso, Vice President of BWF and Treasurer of Badminton Asia, said: “We are very excited about this prestigious event, which will feature some of the best badminton players in the world. A big challenge for Badminton Asia and UAE Badminton Federation. We are very grateful to the federation for their hard work and dedication in organizing this event for Badminton Asia fraternity. Our soul is with this championship and I wish all the players all the best.”

Jassim also stressed that hosting the tournament in the UAE makes it a “unique event in the Arab world”, which will promote the development and prosperity of badminton in the GCC region.

The first round kicked off on Wednesday, April 26, with some of the big names kicking off their campaigns, while the UAE players, led by Bharath Latheesh, kicked off their qualifiers on Opening Day, April 25.

Latheesh, who has just won international youth tournaments – the Uganda Open and the Spanish Open – will lead the home challenge, which will also include Emirati players Mohammad Falamarzi and Ghadeer Ali Altahri, both delighted to make their debuts with the 16-man squad International competition UAE team.

“This is a great opportunity to play against the best players in the world. My goal is to give my all in this championship. In addition to the match against Li Zijia in the mixed team championship, I have played in the last two international youth competitions. Gained a lot of confidence. I want to build that confidence and focus on my game,” Latheesh said.

Noura Al Jasmi, President of the UAE Badminton Association, said hosting the prestigious Asian Badminton Championships is a proud moment for the country.

“After the success of the mixed team event, I believe this event will open the doors for many Arab countries to compete at an international level,” said Aljasmi.

She also thanked sponsors KhiladiX.com, Title Sponsor and Platinum Sponsor Shobha Realty for their support, and Strategic Partners – General Directorate of Sports, Dubai Sports Council, Beyond Boundaries Sports Services, Al Nasr Club, The French School, Sheikh Manaa The ongoing support of Bin Hasher Almaktoum Medical Center.

Francis Al-Fareed, Executive Director of Sobha Realty, a leading luxury real estate developer in Dubai, added: “There is no doubt that Sobha Realty’s involvement in sponsoring events is a belief in the importance of the private sector in supporting sports in general and badminton in particular. In addition to watching exciting games during the tournament, this tournament will also provide a great opportunity to collaborate with the UAE and Badminton Asia.”