About LNSO 2013 http://www.singaporebadmintonopen.sg/ Singapore’s Premier Badminton Tournament is back bigger and better! Fans will be brought closer to the action with a new arena layout, entertained by great music and action packed cheerleading performances between the matches. Besides top badminton action and stars, fans can further expect to be entertained at the Badminton Carnival and allow fans a piece of the action. Get ready for the exciting battles and world class action at the Li-Ning Singapore Open 2013!
Hi, SBA is consolidating the entire list before posting on the www.singaporebadmintonopen.sg site. Your patience is much appreciated.
Try to come down..... SBA is partnering NETs for the first time to create personalized NETs flashcards for fans who want to create their own memories of the Singapore Open! Don't miss this opportunity!
I presume he is and it is very kind of him to join us in BC and personally trying his best to market the Singapore Open. That shows he has passion for the game and we should support him and SBA. For this reason, I hope other interested BC members will try their best to attend this year's Open! BTW, for those who may not have noticed, especially kwun and Cheung, our BC name is mentioned in the new SBA website.
Congratulations on your initiative! I am however, having some issues connecting to the site, it appears to be offline for long periods...
It is? That's really nice. I can't find see it yet but that's probably due to the smartphone I am using now. Do you think they'd allow the BC banner to be unfurled at the S'pore Open?
ABOUT SINGAPORE OPEN http://www.singaporebadmintonopen.sg/tournament_info.html History of Singapore Open Started a quarter of a century ago in 1987, the Singapore Open has proven to be a success as a marquee sporting event in promoting badminton around the region, and helping companies enhance its branding and presence in Singapore. Misbun Sidek was the very first Men's Singles champion, while the legendary Liem Swee King was the first Men's Doubles champion when he partnered Bobby Ertanto in 1987. Our past winners also included illustrious badminton players such as Zhao Jian Hua, Yang Yang, Li Ling Wei, Han Ai Ping, Razif and Jalani Sidek, Foo Kok Keong and the list goes on. Venue Info The Indoor Stadium is Singapore's largest and most versatile indoor sports and entertainment venue. Officially opened in December 1989, the Singapore Indoor Stadium has a flexible arena that can be arranged to accommodate both small (2,500 spectators) and large crowds (up to 12,000 spectators). The Stadium has been used for various major sport events, entertainment events and concerts performed by international superstars such as Elton John and Janet Jackson. In 1999 and 2000, the stadium hosted the Tennis' Heineken Open, and welcomed players such as Marcelos Rios and Lleyton Hewitt. The Indoor Stadium is also no stranger to world-class badminton action. The Li-Ning Singapore Open is a high-profile tournament that has been held there since 2004. The Indoor Stadium has since seen the crowning of top-seed players such as Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, Peter Gade and Zhang Ning at the tournaments.
BC is mentioned on the home page at the bottom as follows under "Badminton Resources": http://www.singaporebadminton.org.sg/ "Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) is the National Sporting Association (NSA) for badminton. The association is charged with the training and performance of our national athletes and the national and international competitions. Badminton is the 5th most participated sport with regular players projected minimally at 170,000!" Badminton Resources •Badminton World Federation •Badminton Asia Confederation •Badminton Central •ICanBook As regards displaying our BC Banner, we have tried it before in 2004 (I think) when kwun made his maiden voyage here with his wife and mother (who incidentally commissioned the original BC banner to be made in China) and we also had a BC gathering in his honour. We managed to unfurl our banner only for a brief moment but was told to keep it as only sponsors' material was allowed to be displayed. SBA management has changed since then, and I wonder whether we can display our BC banner now, since we have so many thousands of enthusiastic members around the world following the Singapore Open not only in person but also via the social media, even when they are supposed to be sleeping because of the different time zone. And with an expected field of so many superstars, more will forego sleep for a chance to follow or witness their stars in action. The BC banner will add tremendous meaning to badminton world passion and to have it displayed in such a beautiful indoor stadium as the SIS for all to see during the SO, will indeed make Singapore a most unique venue to connect with badminton fans worldwide. I think Singapore held the distinct honour of displaying the BC Banner in a hugely recognised tournament such as the SO unofficially for the first time in 2004. To have it displayed officially in Singapore in 2013, after a decade, will give strength and support to not only badminton in general, but more so to SBA as an organisation really promoting the sport worldwide. BC members all around the world will be thrilled to see the BC Banner! How about it Mr Bobby Lee?
BC Banner and Gathering in 2004 I managed to have these pictures with me to remind us of our happy past.
What happened in 2004? I need to know the history before I can commit to your request. But, more than happy to grow the sport from all channels.
Why our BC banner should be allowed to be displayed at LNSO 2013 It was rare for kwun, our BC benefactor, to make a trip to Singapore to witness the Singapore Open in 2004. He first visited Hong Kong to see his mother who assisted in having the BC banner made. Prior arrangements were made with BC members to join kwun, his wife and his mother, to watch the Singapore Open at the SIS. And we also played social badminton together at one of the SSC stadiums and had our meals at the nearby food centre. All these activities were captured in pictures and postings in the BC Forum then. The group picture shown here shows kwun as the tallest player who raised his racket high up. BC members in the picture came not only from Singapore but also from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia. Alas, I think they don't look as young after ten years have passed. At SIS, we took the opportunity to display our BC banner as shown in the picture, but after a short while an official came over to ask us to keep it, which we did. Naturally we were disappointed as we were trying to publicise BC to the world as an internet forum for them to join us in badminton-related discussions. Normally we see banners of various kinds and flags of participating nations being unfurled by supporting fans in the stadium. Times have changed, more so after a decade of badminton worldwide and in Singapore. SBA management has also changed. So we are requesting that the SBA allow us to display our BC banner for the following reasons: 1. Both SBA and BC are promoting badminton in their own ways. 2. BC members will be following the LNSO 2013 in their various countries and will be very happy to see the BC banner with which they are associated and identified with. They will have a positive view of SBA and LNSO as the only SS tournament so far to include BC as a participant. Do remember BC's fan base is worldwide and die-hard fans in different time zones will even forego their sleep just to watch and keep track of the LNSO 2013 . 3. Since the SBA is making this LNSO a unique experience for all visitors, allowing the BC banner to be included will add more colour and meaning to badminton fans and enthusiasts around the world. In time to come foreign visitors to future SO's may increase as a result. 4. BC is a volunteer organisation that has the support of mainly English-speaking badminton fans from different countries in the world and it will be in the interest of SBA to assist it grow since the end-goals are more or less similar. More badminton fans means more support for badminton worldwide and the Olympics will have no good reason to drop the game and kill the interest in badminton. The cost to SBA is minimal as BC is unlike the commercial sponsors who have big bucks to market their names, services and products.
@BobbyLee1668 BadmintonCentral is the world's biggest, most comprehensive and most-respected online badminton community. It is primarily an English-language-driven community, keeping in mind it's international flavour. I won't be surprised to know it is the largest online badminton community, period. BadmintonCentral (BC in short) also boasts numerous (many hundreds actually, maybe more) members who are actually international and national pro players (active and retired) coaches, officials and other specialists of the sport and the industry of badminton. They can choose to remain anonymous or let their identity be known to a select few - that is entirely their choice. But they all recognize the value of this forum, and of sharing. BC is a member-driven community, and the views and suggestions as well as the many knowledge-based initiatives arising from this forum have helped thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of enthusiasts to understand and appreciate the game better, and to support the game with their participation. It has also helped untold numbers of professionals with networking of ideas, information and feedback. It is this free flow (and nurturing) of information, ideas and initiatives that has made BC a priceless hub for badminton. BC is only partly donations-driven. BC doesn't charge a membership fee. The operating costs for BC are mostly paid out of pocket by it's founder and maybe the support of a few other individuals. We owe a debt of gratutide to the founder and these few other people for their dedication. Recognizing the value of BC to the sport, and acknowledging the same can only increase the esteem of the LNSO in the eyes of the international badminton community. It would be the LNSO that would be seen to lead the way in acknowledging the importance of the online community and the social network to the growth and development of the sport - both at national/regional levels and in the digital world-without-borders. The LNSO's demonstration of support to BC would be in keeping with the modern, progressive, and visionary thinking that has made Singapore a unique global success story.
If there is a confirmed Section for BCers, in reasonable good seating and view, very likely I will buy the ticket to watch from QF onward. Hi Bobby, how about it? There is a huge BC followings in SG and abroad.
Fair number of logistics to overcome for this. If it does happen, BC might demand those persons to have face paint, masks, headgear etc as preconditions!
If SBA agrees not only to accommodate our BC banner but also to allocate us a "BC Corner", future Singapore Opens will naturally become more exciting and our fan-base will only grow to create a more colourful, vocal and interesting experience at every tournament. SBA's initiatives can influence other big badminton tournaments worldwide to similarly acquiesce to BC's request, presence and participation. Then we may be able to see BC's banner and representation replicated all around the world, and the snowballing effect will only strengthen the BC name. BWF will be moved by BC's overwhelming passion and interest and may offer a seat to BC in the BWF Council as representing badminton fans worldwide. That is a dream that can come to pass.
Hi Loh, How are you reserve a section specifically for BCer's with no way of verifying that they are part of BC? Then again, other 'organizations' will say, how come these BC guys got special treatment....? (you know complain ).... This is what I would call 'logistics' and 'balancing'. I am not against a BC section of the crowd, but just looking at it from SBA's point of view how it can implemented. What I think it perfectly feasible is to designate a section of the seating (say one end of the court) as a 'party' area. This area must be in view in the TV cameras. You can have banners (not just BC), up to a certain size, flags up to a certain size (i.e. must be able to see on TV clearly), people in party clothes etc. The incentive is that this seating is a better area of viewing the action in return for creating the 'party atmosphere'. I'll dig up a picture of the HK Sevens rugby that will illustrate the concept. (see below) I don't think a banner is unreasonable though; a seat on the BWF council is also a reasonable expectation If SBA were to designate just an area for BC, I wouldn't have any problem with it. Just trying to pre-empt the likely issues that SBA might face.
