The tournament, which is now in its 39th year, used to invite ranked players from the Indian subcontinent and Far East Asian countries in the past, but have decided to have a more regional feel from this year, and with good reason.
The three-week long tournament, which is being sponsored by Global Hawk Imaging & Diagnostics for the second consecutive year, begins on Monday, May 9, at India Club, Dubai.
The tournament is open to all the players from the UAE as well as from abroad. There is no restriction on players from outside the UAE to participate.
Explaining the decision not to have the elite category, Sunil Singh, Head of the Badminton Organising Committee, said: “This really is a step we have taken to encourage youngsters and local players.
“In the past, we invited ranked players so that the fans could watch some of the better players in action in Dubai. Now, we have the World Badminton Finals and you get to see the finest in the game.
“We want to have fair competition for our regional players. Otherwise, only the ranked players won the tournament.”
Last year, the tournament attracted record 712 entries, and Singh is confident they will beat that number easily this year.
“We are growing every year. We had record numbers last year, and we will have more than that this year,” said Singh.
“We have 28 categories in which players can take part, and we have introduced two new categories this year – the Boys Under-16 doubles and the Girls U-18 doubles. We have already got hundreds of entries.”
The finals of the tournament are scheduled for Friday, June 3. Cash prizes, trophies and gift hampers amounting to more than Dh60,000 will be on offer.
A new course: Sunil Singh (3rd L) and Shafi Mulk (4th L) with other officials.
As part of India Club’s drive towards corporate social responsibility, as in the previous years, exhibition matches will be conducted for the special needs children/individuals. Also, invitations will be sent to various labour camps seeking participation.
During the press conference to announce the 2016 tournament details, Shafi Mulk of Global Hawk Imaging & Diagnostics also revealed that his company will sponsor the tournament for next year as well.
Entry forms are available on the India Club website (www.indiaclubdubai.com). All interested participants must apply on-line before Tuesday, May 3.
For further information, contact +9714 3371112 or email [email protected].
