IN CHARGE: The organising committee of the Maybank Malaysia Kuching International Challenge after a meeting in Abdul Aziz’s (fourth left) office yesterday.
KUCHING: The Maybank International Badminton Challenge is back this year albeit with a slightly different name.
Now called the Maybank Malaysia Kuching International Challenge, the tournament is expected to see action from players of 15 countries including Chinese Taipei, Indonesia and Brunei.
The venue will be Stadium Perpaduan with minor refurbishments planned by organisers before the tournament starts on Nov 12.
The organising committee headed by Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain are now looking into flooring conditions at the indoor stadium and other matters to ensure a smooth tournament.
Local state players have to go through a qualifying round to compete at the tournament.
“There must be a standard if the locals players are to participate in this tournament. There will be no wild cards offered and I really hope there are indeed Sarawakian players who qualify,” Aziz commented.
Most local players eyeing the tournament are known to have gone for exposure competitions.
Five local players are targetted by SBA to qualify for the tournament.
“This tournament is also important for the local badminton development. We hope to spawn more talented badminton players in Sarawak with this tournament,” Aziz added.
A total of US$15,000 prize money is up for the grabs in the BWF Level 4 tournament.