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IBF teams up with TSA

October 12, 2005

International Badminton Federation has signed an exclusive agreement with sports marketing firm Total Sports Asia to handle media rights in Asia-Pacific and Middle East

 

Under the terms of the agreement, Total Sports Asia (TSA) will market all major IBF events from 2006, including the annual World Championship and the biennial team events, Thomas & Uber Cup and Sudirman Cup. Punch Gunalan, deputy president of the IBF said, "This is a very important agreement for IBF as it allows us to create a solid financial structure for the federation. We were looking for a partner who could provide us with a wide range of skills and services and TSA covers all these areas and has offices in all our key markets." Gunalan signed the agreement with Marcus Luer, group CEO of TSA in the new IBF headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

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Draw smiles on world singles favourites

August 05, 2005
China's world title favourites Lin Dan and Zhang Ning have both been dealt smooth passage in the early rounds of the 2005 IBF World Championships (15-21 August in Anaheim, USA), according to the draw released today by the International Badminton Federation

 

Hafiz Hashim, seeded eighth, then lies in wait for the Chinese lefthander in the quarter-finals - but with a 4-0 winning record from their past international meetings, Lin will be confident of reaching at least the semi-finals for a guaranteed bronze medal.

 

Top seeds and world number one duo Jens Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen will face the Pakistani pair Wajid Ali and Omar Zeeshan in their opening match, while second seeded Indonesians take on India's Rupesh Kumar and Thomas Sanave at the opposite end of the draw before a probable quarter-final clash - and rematch of the 2003 final - against Denmark's reigning champions Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen

 

England's mixed doubles top seeds Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms will face their teammates Kristian Roebuck and Liza Parker in their first match of the tournament, ahead of an expected quarter-final meeting with Olympic bronze medallists Jens Eriksen and Mette Schjoldager, while Olympic champions Zhang Jun and Gao Ling will be aiming to recapture their 2001 world title in the opposite half of the draw. They face the unheralded Japanese pair Hiroshi Shimizu and Miyuki Tai in their opening bout.

 

The women's doubles looks set to be a Chinese shoo-in, with any of their four pairs capable of taking the title - although, with three of their pairs drawn in the same half, they'll only manage a maximum of two out of four medals from this event. Olympic Champions Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen will start out as favourites, on course for an expected meeting with titleholders and second seeded teammates Gao Ling and Huang Sui in the final.

 

The top seeded singles stars both look set to reach at least the quarter-final stages with little trouble, as they try to match China's collection of three golds from the 2003 event in Birmingham (ENG).

 

On paper, it's the third seeded Dane Peter Gade who looks set to come up against the world number one in the final four - but he will first have to overcome the seventh seeded All England Champion Chen Hong in their likely quarter-final clash

 

In the bottom half of the draw, second favourite Kenneth Jonassen will have some battles on his hands as early as the last 16 where he's due to meet the 15th seeded Olympic silver medallist Shon Seung Mo of Korea - also a bronze medallist at the world meet two years ago. A quarter-final encounter with Indonesia's Olympic Champion Taufik Hidayat awaits the winner, assuming that Hidayat passes Thailand's dark horse Boonsak Ponsana, seeded 11th, in the last 16

 

China's fourth seed Bao Chunlai - also a bronze medallist in Birmingham - opens his campaign against Canadian Bobby Milroy, and is scheduled to meet 2003 runner-up Wong Choong Hann in the last 16. The women's singles draw sees reigning champion and Olympic gold medallist Zhang Ning in strong position - but Europe has been dealt a bitter blow, with all three of their highest seeded stars emerging in the top half of the draw. Ex-Chinese shuttlers Pi Hongyan (3), Yao Jie (5) and Xu Huaiwen (6) - now playing for respective adoptive countries of France, Netherlands and Germany - have all been drawn in the upper section, with Yao Jie facing the prospect of a quarter-final rendezvous with her top seeded former teammate. Pi and Xu are drawn to meet each other in the quarters. The Netherlands' Olympic silver medallist Mia Audina - a bronze medallist two years ago in Birmingham - has also had an unenviable draw, due to face the second seeded Chinese Xie Xingfang in the last 16. Men's doubles 13th seeds Tony Gunawan and Howard Bach are USA's best hopes of success on home ground, and will take on Welsh duo Matthew Hughes and Martyn Lewis in their opening encounter. Their first real hurdle will come in the last 16, where they'll face either Malaysia's eighth seeds Chew Choon Eng and Choong Tan Fook, or China's dangerously unseeded 2003 bronze medallists Sang Yang and Zheng Bo.

 

China's world title favourites Lin Dan and Zhang Ning have both been dealt smooth passage in the early rounds of the 2005 IBF World Championships (15-21 August in Anaheim, USA), according to the draw released today by the International Badminton Federation.

 

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All-star cast for Malaysia Open
June 27, 2005

The ever-popular Proton Malaysia Open (5-10 July) has attracted a host of badminton's biggest stars, who will be going all out to impress ahead of the IBF World Championships in August.

Reigning champion and local hero Lee Chong Wei steps out as the fourth seed for his home event at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium, and opens his title defence against Lee Cheol Ho of Korea before a probable quarter-final encounter with Olympic Champion Taufik Hidayat, seeded eighth. Drawn in the lower section of the men's singles draw, the 22-year-old will likely meet second seeded Dane Kenneth Jonassen the semi-finals, having been drawn in the lower half. Jonassen faces a qualifier in his first match, but a tricky third round awaits him in the form of Thailand's Olympic semi-finalist Boonsak Ponsana. World number one and title favourite Lin Dan is due to meet his Athens conqueror Ronald Susilo in the second round, while third seed Peter Gade could face two Malaysians in a row in his early rounds - he's drawn against Lee Tsuen Seng in the first round with Roslin Hashim awaiting him in the last 32. Sixth seed Hafiz Hashim - winner of the Swiss and Thailand Open titles back in March - finds himself up against the unseeded World Champion Xia Xuanze in his first match of the tournament.

 

In men's doubles, Denmark's world number ones Jens Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen are the only names missing from the top ten pairs in the world ranking list. In their absence, Indonesia's Alven Yulianto and Luluk Hadiyanto start as tournament favourites, and will be eager to go one step further than at the 2004 edition, where they lost in the final to local heroes Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah.

 

World Champions and second seeds Lars Paaske-Jonas Rasmussen also have a tough first round against the plucky Thai pair Sudket Prapakamol-Patapol Ngernsrisuk, with third seeds Candra Wijaya-Sigit Budiarto awaiting them in the semi-finals. Olympic Champions Yang Wei-Zhang Jiewen will be odds-on to retain their 2004 Malaysian women's doubles title and start their 2005 campaign as top seeds against France's Elodie Eymard-Weny Rahmawati - their second seeded teammates Wei Yili-Zhao Tingting take on Danes Lena Frier Kristiansen-Kamilla Rytter Juhl, while the third seeded World Champions Gao Ling-Huang Sui face Chien Yu Chin-Cheng Wen Hsing of Chinese Taipei. In the mixed event, England's Olympic silver medallists Nathan Robertson-Gail Emms top the seeding list, and face another encounter with Olympic Champions and defending Malaysia Open titleholders Zhang Jun-Gao Ling in the final. pictures by badmintonphoto.com

 

The ever-popular Proton Malaysia Open (5-10 July) has attracted a host of badminton's biggest stars, who will be going all out to impress ahead of the IBF World Championships in August. The 4* US$120,000 event in Kuala Lumpur is the last World Grand Prix tournament in the calendar before the world meet in Anaheim (15-21 August), and will not only act as a timely warm-up, but could also provide crucial last minute ranking points towards seedings for the World Championships, due to be announced on 4 August.

 

The women's singles sees Xie Xingfang as favourite and eying up a probable final against second seeded compatriot and titleholder Zhang Ning. The World and Olympic Champion Zhang is drawn to meet World Junior Champion Cheng Shao-Chieh of Chinese Taipei in her opening encounter, while Xie takes on Commonwealth Champion Li Li of Singapore

 

France's Pi Hongyan occupies the third seeded slot with the Netherlands' Athens silver medallist Mia Audina her first round opponent - Audina leads 5-1 in the head-to-head record between the European pair, but it's perhaps prophetic that Pi's only win between them came at last year's Malaysia Open.

 

Yao Jie of the Netherlands completes the top four players in the seeding list, while the hosts have just one player - Sutheaswari Mudukasan - in the main draw.

 

The defending champions have been dealt a tough first round, though, against Athens bronze medallists Flandi Limpele-Eng Hian, and are also in the same half as the Indonesian top seeds and China's in-form fourth seeds Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun.

 

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ESPN2 and Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, a winning pair for 2005 World Badminton Championships

June 23, 2005

This summer the fastest racquet sport in the world will air on ESPN2.

August 19, 2005 Noon - 5:00 p.m. Quarter Finals (Women's Singles, Men's Singles, Mixed Doubles)

 

August 19, 2005 6:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Quarter Finals (Men's Doubles) Semi Finals (Women's Doubles)

August 20, 2005 Noon - 5:00 p.m. Semi-Finals (Women's Singles, Men's Singles, Mixed Doubles)

 

August 20, 2005 6:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Semi Finals (Men's Doubles) Finals (Women's Doubles)

 

August 21, 2005 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Finals (Women's Singles, Men's Doubles, Men's Singles, Mixed Doubles)

 

Times and dates are subject to change without notice. All times are listed in Pacific Standard Time.

 

ESPN2 has aired badminton in the past. In 1995, the network twice aired a one-hour program of the World Championships in Switzerland.

 

This summer the fastest racquet sport in the world will air on ESPN2.

 

With close to 200 million participants worldwide, this is the first time the IBF has brought the World Championships to the United States. This also marks the first time in 20 years that the World Championships have come to North America. In 1985 the host city was Calgary, Canada.

 

More than 350 athletes from 51 countries will compete at the IBF World Championships August 15-21, 2005 in Anaheim, Calif. The seven day event will end with the crowning of the world champions in each discipline. It is hosted by the IBF, USA Badminton, Los Angeles Sports Council and the Arrowhead Pond.

Today, ESPN, Inc., the worldwide leader in sports, and the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, the premier entertainment and sports venue in Southern California, announced the 2005 International Badminton Federation (IBF) World Championships will air nationally on ESPN2. Viewers in more than 89.1 million households will see shuttlecocks flying off of racquets at over 200 miles per hour during five hours of programming.

Five one hour shows will feature competition highlights from the World Championships in each of the disciplines - men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. Hosting each telecast will be long-time ESPN lead NHL analyst, and 2004 Olympic badminton commentator, Bill Clement. Air dates are scheduled starting in early September during ESPN2's Game Room time slot, Monday-Friday, Noon-2pm and 4pm-6pm ET. "We are thrilled to bring another international event to the sports fans of Orange County and now, to the entire nation on ESPN2," said Bob Wagner, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. "The programs will capture the speed and skill of this popular Olympic sport and deliver it into the homes of Americans." "At ESPN, we are all about presenting the best in sports, and the World Badminton Championships will fit nicely with ESPN2's lineup, with its top-level action and athletes from around the world," said Jason Bernstein, manager, programming & acquisitions.

 

All-session tickets are available at ticketmaster.com, the Arrowhead Pond Box Office, by-phone at and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Prices range from $89-$289 and include all nine sessions (see schedule below*). Travel packages are also available on-line and include airfare and hotel accommodations. For more information on the 2005 World Badminton Championships log on to http://www.05worlds.com/.