MALAYSIA TO HOST BWF SUPER SERIES MASTERS FINALS

“It is with a sense of extreme pleasure that we are now able to announce the much awaited news regarding the host of the Super Series Finals. Both the BWF and YONEX-SUNRISE had hoped to be able to announce this earlier, but due to the difficult financial climate this year, it has not been possible to secure the host before this,” said BWF deputy president Paisan Rangsikitpho.

In April 2009 the BWF signed a Super Series contract with SUNRISE SPORTS LTD to secure the rights as the Title and Equipment Sponsors for the Masters Finals for 2008, 2009 and 2010. Meanwhile, the global financial climate has provided challenges in finalising a host association this year and hence the delay in announcing the same.

“On behalf of the BWF I would like to record our appreciation to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) and the local organisers for taking on the responsibility of organising the Super Series Masters Finals,” Rangsikitpho said.

The deputy president further added, “BWF also records its appreciation to Sunrise and Company for fulfilling the commitment of sponsoring the Super Series Finals despite difficult economic situation worldwide.”

“Last year’s Finals in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah were very well received and we expect badminton fans in Malaysia to once again support the Finals” concluded Rangsikitpho.

The format of the competition remains unchanged with the top eight ranked players/pairs in the Super Series ranking, qualifying for the Finals. This, however, is limited to a maximum of two entries per event per Member Association.

The BWF World Super Series is a 12-leg circuit which offers minimum total prize money of US$200,000 for each event. For the Finals, the prize pool is US$500,000 with the winners of the men’s and women’s singles pocketing US$40,000 each for their success.

The YONEX French Open ended Sunday, 1^st November yet players can still earn Super Series ranking points at the forthcoming YONEX-SUNRISE Hong Kong Open to be held from 10^th to 15^th November followed by the Li-NING China Open from 17^th to 22^nd November.

“The BAM in particular is an active member of the BWF and a willing organiser of international events. Moreover BAM has proven to be a capable host for some of our top level international events,” added BWF Chief Operating Officer Thomas Lund .

“The BWF is confident that with the cooperation of all parties, the Masters Finals will once again be a huge success,” Lund continued.

The YONEX-SUNRISE BWF World Junior Championships 2009 has just concluded in Kedah, Malaysia, while the 2010 Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Finals will be played from 9^th to 16^th May 2010 in Kuala Lumpur.

Besides these tournaments, the BAM also hosts the Proton Malaysia Open Super Series in Kuala Lumpur and the YONEX-SUNRISE Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold Championships in Johor Baru annually.