Sports | Fewer players to attend Macau Open Badminton

This year’s Macau Open Badminton will feature 234 players from 18 countries and regions, including China, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Korea, and Malaysia, a decline of 32 players and two regions compared to last year’s edition.

Sixty-one players will participate in the Men’s Singles and 41 in the Women’s Singles. 40 men will compete in the Men’s Doubles, 27 in the Women’s Doubles and 36 in the Mixed Doubles.

Part of the BWF Grand Prix Gold Series, the tournament is organized by the Badminton Federation of Macau and will run from November 29 to December 4 at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion. The five separate tournaments will be held in stages over the six-day competition.

This year’s Macau team comprises seven male players and five female players who will participate in all categories except for the Mixed Doubles.

This year, the referee and the deputy referee come from New Zealand and Malaysia respectively. Athletes who won medals in the Rio 2016 Olympics will participate in the competition, including Chinese player Zhang Nan, Indian player P.V. Sindhu, and Malaysian players Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying. A number of the world’s top badminton players will also attend, including Lee Hyun-
il from Korea, Chou Tien-chen from Taiwan, and Angus Ng Ka Long from Hong Kong.

During a press conference this week, organizers described the international sporting event as a way to provide opportunities for Macau spectators to witness the world’s top players and to develop the sport’s popularity within the SAR.

The qualifying rounds will take place on November 29 with the following two days reserved for the Rounds of 32 and Rounds of 16, respectively. The Quarter Finals will be held on December 2, the Semi-Finals on December 3, and the Finals and Prize Awarding Ceremonies on December 4.

The 11th Macau Open Badminton is the BWF Grand Prix Gold Series tournament, one level below the Super Series. The prize money this year totals MOP1 million. Ticket prices range from MOP150 to MOP400 per person per day, depending on the date. Julie Zhu