Philippines hosts Junior International Challenge badminton tilt anew
MANILA, Philippines — Kennie Asuncion, along with her brother and then mixed doubles partner Kennevic, was there and personally witnessed the Philippines enjoying a badminton boom around two decades ago.
Now a Philippine Badminton Association project director, Asuncion is optimistic there will be a renaissance in the sport soon after the country has secured a third hosting of an international event — the third and current one being the Philippine Junior International Challenge.
“It’s a very exciting time for Philippine badminton, all of us are very excited because we might see talents that we didn’t see before,” said Asuncion during Monday’s event launch at the Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong.
This junior meet for Under-19 and Under-15 players will see the participation of about 32 countries including powerhouses Malaysia, Indonesia and a fast-emerging India starting Monday until Sunday at the Gameville Central Park.
It will be the third international competition PBAD is staging following the highly successful Philippine Open last June and Philippine International Challenge just a couple of days back.
“We wanted to showcase Filipino badminton players are world-class and also show the country what world-class badminton is through these tournaments,” said PBAD secretary-general Shawntel Nicole Neito.
Also present in the event was PLDT first vice president and head of sports Jude Turcuato.
Asuncion, who once played in the World Championships in Birmingham 23 years ago with Kennevic and reached as high as No. 11 in the world mixed doubles rankings, said though it would take time to produce Olympians.
“This is the road to be more progressive and we’re hoping this program will continue,” said Asuncion. “We were lucky to have the support of MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan). Developing a team and players takes time and we’re asking everyone to stay supportive and be patient because it isn’t easy to produce Olympians.”
Thankfully, with these strong tournaments, the path to the Olympics is starting to be paved.
- Latest
- Trending
