Asian Badminton to begin from Sept 6

Hyderabad:

It will be a new role for former All England Champion Pullela Gopichand who dons the mantle of Tournament Director for the Asian Badminton Championships 2005 beginning next month. It has been almost an year since Gopichand competed in a professional singles event, and although he has yet to officially announce his retirement, his new avatar is a pointer to the direction he might be taking soon. "I will be involved in promoting the game and in organisational matters," Gopichand told reporters today at the Gachibowli Stadium, the venue of the $125,000 (approx Rs. 53.75 lakh) prize money event from September 6 to 11.

Top players It must be a big disappointment for the local crowd that Gopichand did not qualify for an event happening is his own backyard. In fact, Gopichand has in recent times been spending more time in setting up an academy at Gachibwoli than honing his skills on the court. Prominent among the top players to take part in the event are former All England champion Hashim Muhdii of Malyasia, twice Asian champion Sony Dwi Kuncora of Indonesia and Athens Olympics semi-finalist Boonsak Pnsana besides Lee Hyin Il of Korea and Ng Wei of Hong Kong, president of AP Badminton Association K Durga Prasad said. The Chinese team is yet to be confirmed and the event begins after formal inauguration the previous day. (PTI)

Featured Video Of The Day