Kathmandu, December 3

Nepal Badminton Association is organising the Yonex Sunrise Nepal International Series here at the Nepal APF Club covered hall from Tuesday.

A total of 178 players from 20 nations will take part in the five-day competition which features five events — men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles, informed the organisers at a press meet today.

Nepal will field 16 players in men’s section and 13 in women’s category. A total of 77 players will fight for the men’s singles title, while 43 will vie for women’s singles gold medal. Likewise, 36 and 18 pairs will participate in men’s and women’s doubles events respectively, while 32 pairs will fight in mixed doubles event.

The tournament carries a total cash purse of $10,000 with winners in singles categories getting $750 each and gold medallists in doubles receiving $790 apiece. The runners-up in all five categories will get $290 each, while others in top 16 will also receive their share of cash prizes. The total cash purse was increased by $3,000 in this edition.

Nepal Badminton Association President Ramji Bahadur Shrestha said the tournament was one of the major events for the players. “Our players have been doing good in international area and it will help them get exposure for big events,” said Shrestha. “As a host country we have the privilege of fielding 29 players in an international event. The number goes down to six to eight in an event held on foreign soil,” he added.

Shrestha also thanked the World Badminton Federation and Badminton Asia along with main sponsor Yonex Sunrise and other partners including National Sports Council for supporting the event. “This is the third International Series we are hosting and we have received support from our well wishers,” he added. The estimated budget of the tournament is Rs 4 million. “Badminton Asia will provide us with $8,000, while the main sponsors Yonex will give us $6,000 and the NSC has approved one million rupees. We also have support from other sponsors,” added Shrestha.

Council Member of World Badminton Federation and Development Committee Chairman of Badminton Asia, Moosa Nashid said the event meant a lot not only for players but also for the governing bodies. “As 2020 is a big year for Asian badminton, we are trying to enhance more Asian countries to raise their flags in the Olympic Games,” he said.