Dubai: UAE’s oldest badminton tournament is set to turn 40.
The India Club UAE Open Badminton tournament, held for the last four decades, will commence this year from April 26 at the India Club.
Announcing the 40th edition of the tournament, Sunil Singh, the head of badminton tournament committee and member and Trustee of India Club, said: “We are not only the oldest but also the richest tournament with prize money of over Dh60,000 and backed with air tickets, trophies and gift hampers for the top performers. The 39th edition of our tournament last year got a four star rating from the Dubai Sports Council in the sports events ranking system.”
This year India Club will not invite ranked players from India as they are wanting to develop local talent. “Being an open tournament any badminton player from not only UAE but anywhere can take part. We have decided to invest the money spend on inviting ranked players to boost our prize money,” said Bharat Chachara, General Manager of the India Club.
In the 39th edition, 603 entries were registered in the 28 categories. Expat players from India, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Bahrain, Malaysia and Singapore took part in the tournament.
“This year too contests will be held in 28 categories, but 15 categories will be for juniors, emphasising our aim to attract youngsters into the game,” said Suresh Menon, who along with Girish Chand are the organising committee members. The tournament has got good sponsorship support with Henna Speedy as title sponsors and Consolidated Shipping Services and Supervision Optical & Carrera Sunglasses as co-sponsors.
Yonex will be providing gift vouchers worth Dh300 to all participating players redeemable exclusively for Yonex Professional rackets at Yonex retail outlets. “The last date for entries is April 22 and entry forms will be available on India club website www.indiaclubdubai.com. Matches will be held on weekdays from 7pm and on Friday from 10am,” said Chand.
As part of India Club’s drive towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), exhibition matches will be conducted for Special Needs Children, individuals, and invite participation from labour camps. The age categories contest (under 9 to 55 and above) will also be held.
