The US$136,000 JVC Asian Championships is currently underway in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This four star event has attracted a number of Asia's top players, both for a chance to win such a prestigious title and also to gain valuable world ranking points in the Olympic Qualifying period.

World Championships' runner-up Fung Permadi of Chinese Taipei (pictured left) is top seed in the men's singles event with China's Chen Gang seeded number two. Indonesia's young star Taufik Hidayat is taking a well-earned break after his successes in the recent run of Asian World Grand Prix events but a more mysterious absence is that of World Champion Sun Jun. Sun has not played on the circuit since his quarter-final defeat in the Thailandin early July.

There is something rather odd in the men's doubles too. Olympic silver medallists Cheah Soon Kit/Yap Kim Hock of Malaysia have teamed up again despite Yap announcing his retirement due to injury after the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Could they be going for gold in Sydney next year? Watch this space...

All the doubles events boast the reigning World Champions so some fantastic badminton should be on offer over the weekend.