World’s Badminton Elite Arrive in Dubai for BWF Superseries Finals

Sport360 staff 18:22 15/12/2014
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  • Top-ranked: The draw ceremony and press conference for the BWF Destination Dubai World Superseries Finals took place at the InterContinental Hotel.

    Badminton arrives in Dubai for the first time this week, with the season ending BWF Destination Dubai World Superseries Finals taking place at the Hamdan Sports Complex from 17-21 December.

    – Hans-Kristian Vittinghus aims to win BWF Dubai World Series

    Only the eight top-ranked players from the BWF Destination Dubai Rankings have earned a place at the tournament, which sees them compete for a share of a US$1million prize pool. To qualify for Dubai the players had to amass points from twelve MetLife BWF World Superseries Tournaments held around the world throughout the year.

    Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, the World Superseries Finals are to be staged in Dubai each December until 2017 as part of a four-year partnership, facilitated by Falcon and Associates, with the BWF.

    Thomas Lund, BWF Secretary General said: “The significance of this occasion – to have the very best players in the world showcase their skills in Dubai – cannot be underestimated. It’s not every day that sports fans get to watch elite athletes play in their country and we hope Dubai resident will come out to cheer on these world class players as well as to see the incredible sports presentation which has been planned.

    Draw assistants

    Dr Aysha Albusmait, Director of Communication and Marketing at Dubai Sports Council said “Since its inception Dubai Sports Council has sought to attract major events to the city, not only to provide excellent entertainment for sports fans, but also to create a legacy through increasing participation and raising the standard of performance in sport throughout the community. 

    “The BWF Destination Dubai World Superseries Finals will provide spectators the opportunity to watch world class badminton for the first time in Dubai. We hope that seeing the elite in action will further inspire people of all ages to take up this great sport, and perhaps in the future some of the children who are introduced to the game through Shuttle Time Dubai may qualify for this event”.

    Commenting on the draw today, World Champion Chen Long of China said “This is the highlight of the Series, so I will try my best to win. This really is the peak of all the BWF events.” Chen will meet Korea’s Son Wan Ho, Japan’s Kenichi Tago and Demnark’s Hans-Kristian Vittinghus in Men’s Singles Group A.

    Tago said “I would prefer to be in Group B! ( with Jan O Jorgensen (DEN), K Srikanth (IND), Kento Momota (JAP) and Tommy Sugiarto (INA)), but all I can do is try my best.”

    Indian superstar Saina Nehwal also has a tough draw, meeting China’s Wang Shixian, Sung Ji Hyun and Bae Yeon Ju, both of Korea in Women’s Singles Group A. 

    Kenichi Tago

    The Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Doubles draws also threw together some tough pools, although with only the top eight in the BWF Destination Dubai Rankings qualifying, all games will test the players. 

    In a special feature on Monday, children who are participants in the Shuttle Time Dubai programme assisted with the selection of the pools and names for the draw. The children, who represent a number of different nationalities and schools, were delighted to be part of such an important event.

    Action in the BWF Destination Dubai World Superseries Finals starts on Wednesday 17 December at 9am. Matches will be played throughout the day, concluding at 11pm. The order of play and all the details can be found at www.destinationdubai.ae.

    Tickets for the BWF Destination Dubai World Superseries Finals are on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae, Prices start from AED 20, with those under 18 years entering for free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. For more information about the event go to http://www.destinationdubai.ae/

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