In less than a month, the Philippines will be hosting another major regional event, with the Rizal Memorial Coliseum set to be the venue for third Badminton Asia Team Championships.
Scheduled to take place on February 11-16, it serves as not just a qualifier for the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup in May, but also for the Olympics, with shuttlers attempting to accumulate the points needed to be able to make it for Tokyo 2020.
According to Badminton Asia Chief Operating Officer Chit Boon Saw, he sees the country going through another boom in the sport, which he believes that it is a perfect opportunity to have the meet take place here.
He shares, "I think the Philippines is one of the fastest developing nations in badminton. And it is good to bring an event like this in a developing badminton country." He also adds, "The game can be promoted to the masses better with an event like this."
Almost 300 Asian shuttlers are expected to come to the country, led by defending champions Indonesia (men's) and Japan (women's).
There will be fifteen teams in the men's division and fourteen in the women's division. The squads will be divided into groups of four, with the top two of each group advancing into the knockout rounds.
Ties will consist of three singles matches and a couple of doubles matches. Win three of these matchups and one can clinch the tie.
The Philippines only won one tie in the previous edition of the Badminton Asia Team Championships, going 1-2 in the men's division and 0-3 in the women's side when it took place in Malaysia back in 2018.
Saw views the tournament as a chance for the local competitors to secure much-needed match experience, says "I hope the Philippine team takes this as an opportunity to learn and grow in the team event. As you know, there are not a lot of team tournaments in the world so this will be a good opportunity to learn on your home court."
He also believes that the Philippine Badminton Association will be able to make the 2020 edition of the tourney a success.