Today it was announced that the 22nd Annual JVC Asian Badminton Championships will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from November 13 - 17. This year’s JVC Asian Badminton Championships (JVC ABC) marks the 22nd Anniversary of the event. Created in 1962 and held annually since 1991, the JVC ABC has been one of the top events in Asia and stands as a tradition in Asian sports. As China, Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea are among the nations to participate, his year’s event is certain to once again attract World Champions, Thomas & Uber Cup champions and Gold Medallists from the Asian Games.
Over the past 21 events, the Championships have been held in 12 cities ranging from Lucknow, India to Shanghai, China. The JVC ABC 2002 marks the second time that Bangkok has hosted the event (last held in Bangkok in 1998). Some of the event’s past champions include the sport’s top players such as: Park Joo Bong in Men’s Doubles, Rashid Sidek and Sun Jun in Men’s Singles, and the amazing 5-time champion, Ye Zhaoying in Ladies’ Singles. In fact, Ye Zhaoying won the event three times in a row (from 1993 – 1995) and was awarded with the Tong Yun Kai Cup for her amazing achievement.
The JVC ABC will be held this year at the Nimibutr Gymnasium in the heart of Bangkok. “It was our decision to bring the 22nd Anniversary event to Bangkok as Thailand has been a major supporter of the sport both through hosting events and providing world-class players over the past three decades,” said Datuk Punch Gunalan, Secretary General of the Asian Badminton Confederation. With the strong recent play from Thailand’s ladies’ doubles pair of Saralee Thungthongkam/Sathinee Chankrajangwong (champions at the IBF 5 star Chinese Taipeiin July) as well as the Thailand men’s strong showing at the 2001 Asia Cup, the local team is ready to compete against Asia’s best!
Last year in Manila, the JVC ABC’s champions included: Xia Xuanze (men’s singles) and Gao Ling/Huang Sui (ladies’ doubles) of China as well as Kim Dong Moon/Ra Kyung Min (mixed doubles) of Korea—all of whom were world #1 at the time, as well as Indonesian veterans Bambang Suprianto/Trikus Heryanto who defeated the world #1 men’s doubles team to win the championship and the up-and-coming Chinese ladies’ singles player, Zhang Ning who is currently ranked 3rd in the world. Professor Charoen Wattanasin, President of the Badminton Association of Thailand, salutes the solidarity of the Asian Championships, “We welcome players from all across Asia to participate in the 22nd anniversary JVC ABC event this year. Through this event, we can work together to further develop the sport in Asia.”
Top seeded players in each category at the event this year will receive a bonus from JVC of USD 1,000. “It is important that we reward players for their accomplishments, and through this bonus, we hope to show our appreciation to the top players in Asia for their hard work and dedication”, remarked Hitoshi Tachikawa of JVC Asia of the reward. Currently, the top players on the JVC Asian Rankings are:
Men’s Singles – Wong Choong Hann, Malaysia
Men’s Doubles – Ha Tae Kwon/Kim Dong Moon, Korea
Mixed Doubles – Kim Dong Moon/Ra Kyung Min, Korea
Ladies Singles – Wang Chen, Hong Kong
Ladies Doubles – Gao Ling/Huong Sui, China
Both media and fans alike can get the latest news on the JVC ABC event and the updated JVC Asian Rankings through the event website: www.jvc-badminton.com. The website will include all of the news leading up to the event with regard to players’ performances in other events (such as the Singapore Indonesia Asian Games, etc.) as well as information about the JVC ABC’s history, contests, games and opportunities to chat with other badminton fans and ask questions to top Asian players.
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Issued by IMG on behalf of the JVC Asian Badminton Championships 2002. Should you require more information, please contact Mr. Michael Dale of the IMG Bangkok office at: 661 – 0322 or Miss Maya Hidajat of the IMG Asian Badminton office: +62-21-526-8038.
