Wuhan is home to Badminton Asia Championships till 2020
Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province in China will be home to Badminton Asia's flagship tournament - the Asian Championships (individual) until 2020 - a big boost to the annual event.
Feng Pingshan ( Image below) , the Director of Badminton Division 2 of Table Tennis and Badminton Administrative Center and General Administration of Sport of China confirmed that Wuhan will host Asian meet until 2020.
Bambang Roedyanto (Rudy) (image below), the chair of events of Badminton Asia, welcomed the "renewal of hosting this tournament by Wuhan until 2020" as a shot in the arm for the sport.
"Wuhan has gained the confidence in our efforts to take badminton to a higher level. The recognition gives us the pride as Wuhan sees the potential in developing the brand value of our flagship event," said Rudy.
Wuhan first hosted the Badminton Asia Championships in 2015 on a two-year deal and it was extended for another year for this year's Championships.
Dubbed the "City of Automobile" this sprawling city which hosted the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Finals in 2012, has earned high praise from participating countries for its splendid facilities and organisation.
In extending its sponsorship to host the Badminton Asia Championships till 2020, Wuhan could be an important stop for Olympics points for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The prize money for this year's 2017 Wuhan, City of Automobile Badminton Asia Championships has also been increased to USD325,000 compared USD200,000 last year.
The Asian meet has not only seen a steady increase in participation from Asian countries, with 21 competing this year. Last year 18 countries took part in the championships.
More importantly, with the Asian Championships offering ranking points on par with a superseries tournament, the big names from Asia, including current world No 1 and defending champion Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia heading the list.
Also competing is three-time champion and former world No 1 Lin Dan of China, who is a five-time world champion and two-time Olympics gold medallist.
Reigning Olympic and world champion Chen Long, is the second seed and drawn in the bottom half. Ros Leonard Pedrosa of the Philippines in his opening match.
Chong Wei, opens his campaign with first round match against Japan's rising star Kazumasa Sakai. Fourth seed and newly crowned Malaysia Open champion Lin Dan faces Korean Lee Dong Keun in the first round.
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