Jamaica badminton championship shuttles off today
The third edition of the Jamaica International Badminton championship will shuttle off today at the National Indoor Sport Centre (NISC) in Kingston.
The tournament, which will be concluded on Sunday, will have nine counties in participation, including hosts Jamaica, Australia, Slovakia, Barbados, Canada, Czech Republic, India, Denmark, and Panama.
The level four International Series tournament promises to deliver non-stop action as players compete in men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
Local fans will have the rare opportunity to witness their own top players vying for ranking points in their quest for a berth at the 2020 Olympics when the elimination round begins at 11:00 am.
The finalists battle for US$10,000 and other prizes, with first place in both the men’s and women’s singles getting US$900 each and the second and third-places receiving US$400. The winners of the men’s and women’s doubles, along with the mixed doubles, will walk away with US$1,200, while the second and third finishers will get US$520 and US$480, respectively.
The 2016 All Jamaica Badminton Association senior men’s singles champion Dennis Coke and successful Jamaican player Gareth Henry will lead 16 others into action in the men’s singles against top seed Adam Mendrek and second seed Jan Frohlich — both from Czech Republic.
Current All Jamaica Badminton Association senior women’s singles champion Katherine Wynter and local queen Georidne Henry will lead eight other Jamaicans in the women’s single. Rachel Honderich from Canada is the number one seed, while the number two seed is Martina Respiska from Slovakia.
Later on today, the quarter-finals in both the men’s and women’s singles will be contested, starting at 5:30 pm.
Sponsors of the tournament are Sports Development Foundation, Jamaica Tourist Board, LASCO Distributors Limited, Jamaica Pegasus hotel, Pure National Ice Company, CARIMED Limited, Coldwell Bankers, Fontana Pharmacy, Tastee Limited, Eshopoly.Com., Chad-Ad Distributors, Konnexx Services Limited, Jamaica Sport, Milex Security, Yonex, and Badminton Pan Am Confederation.
