Best Ever Singapore Open 2005

The long and impatient wait has been worth it for it is reported in today's Straits Times that "the world's top 10 men and women shuttlers will be competing in the Aviva Singapore Open 2005 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from June 27 to July 3".

Actually June 27 and 28 are qualifying rounds open free to the public at the Singapore Badminton Hall. The Season Ticket holders who paid an average of less than S$20 (about US$12) for the remaining 5 days up to the Finals will enjoy aircon comfort at the SIS. Die-hard badminton fans in Singapore never had it so good!

So we will be seeing an array of badminton superstars like Lin Dan, K Jonassen, Peter Gade, Lee Chong Wei, Bao Chunlai, Hafiz Hashim, Chen Hong, Taufik Hidayat, Ng Wei and Boonsak Ponsana for the men and Xie Xingfang, Zhang Ning, Pi Hongyan, Yao Jie, Wang Chen, Xu Huaiwen, Tracy Hallam, Zhou Mi, Kanako Yonekura and Petya Nedltcheva (Bulgaria) for the women. Certainly, Zhang Ning will fight hard to retain her crown, even against World No. 1 XXF. Also, with Lin Dan around, K Jonassen will find it tough to defend his title. And our own Ronald Susilo will try to make amends for his long absence through injury by putting up a gallant fight.

This year's 5* (US$170,000) Singapore Open is special not only for its top quality and diversity of badminton shuttlers, it also coincides with IOC's selection of the host city for the 2012 Olympics. So the SBA will certainly put up a jolly good show to impress our IOC visitors, some of whom will be invited to attend the Open. Then our Open will also be held back-to-back with the Malaysian Open which will take place in KL from July 5.

The Aviva Singapore Open may be upgraded to a 6* (US$250,00) event in 2007 as it has grown in stature with the participation of so many world-class players. Who can complain? Definitely not me!

 

Like all of you who are viewing from overseas, I sure hope that the cameramen and the commentators will be able to do a good job and set a high standard. I'm sure on the internet aspects, including live scoring, there should not be a problem.

Of course most times I'll be at the venue to watch the action live and could only watch at a limited angle, but I also hope to enjoy the subsequent replays on TV which can offer interesting perspectives. I hope the technical people, especially the cameramen, will come up with something different, innovative and interesting apart from the normal standards of camera work to be expected. I hope they can satisfy the viewing demands of a varied and highly expectant viewership.

Issues such as different camera angles and perspectives as pointed out by Han and Cheung, closeups on facial expressions, on players' techniques such as serves, jump smashes, etc, on line calls, and other aspects including crowd action, should be highlighted. It will be excellent if they could measure the speed of the smash and flash it out in big numbers on the screens. This will be a first and will bring badminton closer to tennis in terms of visibility. And perhaps they could give a prize to the player who registered the fastest smash for both men and women.

I hope the backroom boys did their research on the players and are able to feed the commentators with up-to-date information and interesting anecdotes such as the one on Zhang Ning who was recently intereviewed on her triumphant road to her glorious Olympic crown. Hopefully too, they could arrange for some of the better known players to be interviewed and those unfortunate to be knocked out in the earlier rounds, to be invited as guest commentators. As many of them as possible to be shown their non-playing side and more in common with the ordinary folks, so that there is a projection of a certain attachment and affinity.

I also hope that relevant and interesting statistics in simple but clear tabulated form can be presented over the TV on such matters as points won or lost on serves, smashes, drives, crosses, half smashes, net play, etc; on unforced errors, misjudgements on lines, etc.

I just don't know how much of my wish-list will be fulfilled though.

 

Glittering Array of Stars

With almost the world's top badminton stars converging in Singapore for the Aviva Singapore Open 2005, I do hope that the TV coverage and commentaries will do justice to them by giving an above-par performance.

Nearly all of the Athens Olympic medal winners will be present, with a noticeable absence of Koreans Ha Tae Kwon/Kim Dong Moon (Gold) and silver medalist compatriots, Lee and Yoo, in the men's doubles. Fortunately, WR #16 Limpele Flandi/Eng Hian (Bronze), will be competing. This will be a really tough tournament for all title aspirants and even the seeded players can be knocked out in the early rounds if they should lapse in concentration! The quarter-finals stage should be very interesting and exciting as many of the World's top ten in all events will be featured, provided they are not eliminated before then by the lower ranked players or pairs.

In the MS, though they have dropped out of the top ten, WR #19 Kuncoro Soni Dwi (Bronze) and WR #20 Shon Seung Mo (Silver) will be there. Admirers of Xia Xuanze, Taufik Hidayat, Peter Gade, Wong Choong Hann, Ponsana Boonsak and Hashim Roslin should not be disappointed for they will also compete. Athens Olympic silver medalist, Mia Audina, will also show up although she is now WR #17.

So you can imagine how exciting it is for us to be able to witness all the proceedings live for about US$10 for a season ticket! However this time round, I'm not sure whether FEND can continue to be BC's online rapid commentator. Maybe someone from Singapore can take over, if FEND is indisposed.

The full Draw can be located as follows (at Worldbadminton.net):

http://www.worldbadminton.net/Portal/DesktopDefault.aspx

 

Wow you fanatic! You might as well camp at the SIS.

Sure, I remember why you're so excited and raring to go. Cos last year you won the lucky draw for a return trip to Beijing and you cashed it!

We'll be waiting for you to 'belanja' (treat in Malay) us and hope the SIS prices are more reasonable so that we can eat and drink more! And hope that you'll be lucky again.