For those die-hard badminton fans in Singapore, the Cheers Youth International Badminton Championships 2005 is being held at Singapore Badminton Hall from 12th to 17th December 2005. For more information on the draws, schedule and results, please refer to this link: http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/matches.asp?id=9130 It was Round 1 yesterday and I caught a glimpse of Mr. Loh hard at work last night taking photographs around the badminton hall The standards of these international youth players are pretty high IMHO, especially the Indonesian, Malaysian and Korean players. They were very skilful and their gameplay were very mature for their age. Some of the boys are very big. On a side note, the majority of the entries were from Singapore and was a bit disappointed to see the standard of some Singapore players (definitely not from the national squad). These players were not even 'school team' standard and look like beginners who have just started playing badminton. I wondered whether there were any entry criteria/requirement set by the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA). See ya there
I fully agree with your disappointment.The number entries for this tournament is mind boggling.Hopefully there will be some changes next year.
The longest match of the day Tue seems to be 1:15 between Wyman Yeo (SGP) and Jansen Jones (INA) in the boys U-15. I presume the Indonesian player is of some standard (I've seen 'regular' 16-year old Indonesian students play...) so pretty impressive that we have a Singapore player that has the mental strength to win a gruelling 3 set match in 1:15....
Did you guys know about the korean player who was killed in a car accident?? I feel so sad for her family....
Singapore sends condolences over death of Korean badminton player May she rest in peace and I'd like to send my condolences to her family as well. Here the news I got from Channel News Asia Singapore sends condolences over death of Korean badminton player By Sharon Tong, Channel NewsAsia SINGAPORE : Minister Lim Swee Say has sent a letter of condolence to the president of the Korea Badminton Association following the death of one of its young players in a road accident in Singapore. Sixteen-year-old Kim Mi Seon was hit by a car driven by a Korean woman outside the Singapore Badminton Hall at Guillemard Road on Tuesday. Mr Lim, who is also president of the Singapore Badminton Association, said Mi Seon was a talented young player with potential. She was part of the Korean contingent who were making their debut at the Cheers Youth International Badminton tournament, and her death, said Mr Lim, was a tremendous loss to her team-mates and the wider badminton community. The Minister has extended the fullest support to Mi Seon's family, friends and fellow players and said the association would do whatever it could to help them through this difficult period. The Korean contingent, made up of 25 players, arrived in Singapore on Monday to participate in the tournament and Kim was due to play in the girls' singles under 17 and girls' doubles under 17 against Sri Lanka. The driver of the car is currently assisting the police in their investigations and is out on police bail. - CNA /ct
Yes, I agree that this year's Youth International is generally of a higher standard than last year's, especially from the quarter finals onwards. However, as mentioned, some participants do not deserve to be allowed to enter the tournament. Their standard is so low that it makes a mockery of the entire championships. Such players should be 'exposed' to lesser local or school tournaments and not a youth 'international'. In fact, the maximum number of entries of each event should be pared down to 64 instead of 128 as it takes too much time and manpower to officiate. Spectators can easily get bored with poor quality matches. And the better players will have to play more than one match a day and more if they participate in more than one event. Therefore, it is to the benefit of everyone if the number of entries is not too large for any single event. I could see that the U19 event has been taken out. This year is special in that there is a Team Event along the lines of the Sudirman Cup, ie five matches involving BS, GS, BD, GD and XD. Malaysia came out tops followed by Thailand and Singapore. If the team event continues to be a regular feature for future tournaments, then the number of individual entries should all the more be reduced, not only because of the time factor but more so because some of the top players will also participate in the team matches. Because the team event finals were held in conjunction with the individual finals, spectators were unduly distracted and of two-minds as to which event to concentrate on. It will be ideal to have them conducted separately so that there will be more support and a better atmosphere. Another highlight this year is the coaching clinic conducted by Rashid Sidek, his brother Rahman and the trainers from Nusa Mahsuri at the end of the tournament. The girls and boys present, especially those from overseas such as Sri Lanka, really enjoyed themselves. But the saddest moment was when talented South Korean national player, Kim Mi Seon, 15, was knocked down by a car driven by coincidentally a Korean mother just outside SBA on Guillemard Road. She later died in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. A minute's silence was observed in SBH in memory of Mi Seon. But the entire Korean team of about 20 players withdrew from the tournament as a mark of respect. Here are some pics for the record:
Nice pics Loh. At least we can see some future badminton pros from the tourney. No wonder Rashid is in Spore.
Loh,we are back in Alor Star.Thanks for the hospitality.Karen and I really enjoy talking to you.We have gained a lot of knowledge from you.Thanks again for all the photos you have posted for Jian Hao.