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International air badminton tournament for Jamaica

Published:Sunday | February 26, 2023 | 1:28 AMJob Nelson - Sport Coordinator
Jamaica’s Katherine Wynter (right) and teammate Joel Angus compete against Zambia’s Chongo Mulenga and Ogar Siamupangila during a mixed doubles badminton match at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England last year.
AP
Jamaica’s Katherine Wynter (right) and teammate Joel Angus compete against Zambia’s Chongo Mulenga and Ogar Siamupangila during a mixed doubles badminton match at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England last year.

JAMAICA WILL be hosting an international air badminton tournament at the same time as the Yonex Pan American (PanAm) Championships in April at G.C. Foster College.

The air badminton tournament will be in the sandpits at the venue and will be held on the final day of the Yonex PanAm Championships. The tournament will also serve as a Badminton World Federation (BWF) qualifier.

“We are going to be having two events. We are also going to have an air badminton tournament, which will bring a different flavour and will make it so exciting,” president of the Jamaica Badminton Association, Sheldon Townsend, said.

“Right after the conclusion of the PanAm Championships, at the same location at G.C. Foster, we are going to have an air badminton tournament at the same ground, and that’s going to be a qualifier for beach air badminton next year. We are going to be hosting two BWF-rated tournaments on that weekend of April.

OUTDOOR SETTING

Air badminton, unlike the regular game, is contested in an outdoor setting, with players having to contend with the weather, apart from their opponents. The Yonex PanAm Championships take place in the gymnasium at G.C. Foster College.

In December, members of the Badminton Pan American Confederation (BPAC) inspected and approved both the gymnasium and the sandpits at G.C. Foster for both tournaments. The BPAC officials also scrutinised G.C. Foster’s capabilities for physiotherapy, medical care and live streaming, as the entire tournament will be shown live to the world.

“G.C. Foster has two sandpits which they use for beach volleyball. These are what we will be utilising to host the air badminton tournament,” Townsend said.

The Jamaica Badminton Association (JBA) won the bid to host the Yonex PanAm Championships in October. The JBA opted to stage the higher-graded PanAm Championships, instead of the annual Jamaica International Badminton Tournament, which is usually held between February and March.

The international air badminton tournament was added to the schedule.