Although Jamaica Badminton Association President Sheldon Townsend is disappointed with the number of entrants for this year’s All Jamaica Badminton Championship, he is expecting fireworks in all age group divisions.

The All Jamaica Championship is set for November 18 to 20 at the GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sport in Spanish Town, St Catherine. The competition will feature singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, with age groups starting from Under-11, 13, 15, 17, 19, and open and masters.

“We started out wanting to host the tournament over two weekends, but the registration, especially for the juniors, was not as expected,” Townsend said during the launch on Thursday. “Right now, we have about 85 participants across all age group divisions, and some more are new participants.

“What is affecting us is that a lot of our main athletes are overseas, and I must say, when I saw the registration list, last year’s champion Samuel Ricketts, his entry is in and so we expected him to put on a good show.”

Bresheh Chief Executive Officer Randy Makk gave his company’s commitment as one of the sponsors for the tournament.

“We are a family company, we are a Jamaican company, and so anything that brings people together to celebrate in the spirit of good competition, in the spirit of growth, development, and nation-building, we are definitely a part of that,” he said.

“Sport is an important part of who we are as people, as Jamaicans, and so it was a no–brainer to come on board and to donate the product towards a raffle as a part of the experience of the championships.”

“We are here because we support family. Our core purpose is to make family purposeful and prepared for life and sports and activity, or anything that brings Jamaica together is definitely a part of that, and we look forward to the championship.”