The coveted Asia Cup is just around the corner, and hosts Singapore have thrown down the gauntlet and set themselves the ambitious target of reaching the semi-finals.
The Asia Cup (men''s team event) which runs from 2 - 6 May, features eight of the top Asian nations who will battle it out for the cup and a share of the $170,000 prize money. The winning nation will scoop a mammoth $80,000, or $20,000 per player - higher than any individual prize currently available on the world calendar.
Singapore Badminton Association are reported to be offering their squad a $30,000 incentive for reaching the semi-finals of the event, to be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. But with the likes of Olympic silver medallist Hendrawan, Wong Choong Hann, Lee Hyun Il and Pullela Gopichand also in action, the hosts will have their work cut out.
Cup holders Indonesia are widely tipped to retain the trophy for the third consecutive occasion the remaining teams are China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea and Malaysia.
The draw is due to take place on 27 April.
Meanwhile, the Singapore International - part of the Asian Satellite circuit - got underway last night, with many members of the host''s Asia Cup team using the A-grade event as a warm-up.
Reigning men''s singles World Champion Sun Jun and his wife, the legendary Ge Fei, after retiring from the elite Chinese squad have combined forces on-court and play in the mixed doubles at the international event in Singapore.
Asia Cup teams:
China: Chen Hong, Xiao Hui, Zhang Jun, Zhang Wei
Hong Kong: Tam Kai Chuen, Agus Hariyanto, Ng Wei, Ma Che Kong, Yau Kwun Yuen, Liu Kwok Wa, Albertus Susanto Njoto
India: Pullela Gopichand, Abhinn Shyam Gupta, Jaseel Ismail, Vincent Lobo
Indonesia: Hendrawan, Taufik Hidayat, Candra Wijaya, Sigit Budiarto
Japan: Takuya Katayama, Yuzo Kubota, Keita Masuda, Tadashi Otsuka, Hidetaka Yamada, Shinya Ohtsuka
Korea: Lee Hyun Il, Shon Seung Mo, Yoo Yong Sung, Lee Dong Soo, Chung Jae Sung
Malaysia: Wong Choon Hann, Ong Ewe Hock, Yong Hock Kin, Chan Chong Ming, Chew Choon Eng
Singapore: Indra Wijaya, Ronald Susilo, Patrick Lau, Aman Santosa, Kendrick Lee |
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