Record field seen in JVC badminton

With badminton enjoying tremendous boom and great following this year, the forthcoming JVC Open Badminton Championships is expected to draw record field from the junior ranks to the veteran campaigners all the way up to the elite division when it is staged July 18-25 at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City.

To accommodate the big number of participants and ensure the smooth staging of the fourth edition of the annual event, the organizing IMG (International Management Group) has lined up a series of qualifying rounds from July 11-17 at Powersmash.

Deadline for registration is June 30.

A total of 1,528 players took part last year with Ian Piencenaves and Kennie Asuncion topping the singles events in the elite category and Mark Natividad and Raquel Guevarra ruling the junior division. The Salvador Banquiles-Renato Reyes tandem and the pair Jeanette Banquiles and Guinevere Chan reigned supreme in the seniors class.

They are all expected to be back and lead the chase for top honors in this year’s staging of the event sponsored by electronics giant JVC in its continuing effort not only to help popularize the sport but also to provide the country’s top players a proper venue where they can hone their talent and skills.

The big business will also have a tournament of their own in the two-week long championship with the holding of the corporate event with Bingo Bonanza A likely to return and defend the crown it won last year.

Providing glitter and glamour is the celebrity tournament featuring the country’s top movie and TV stars as well as those from the fashion world.

JVC and IMG are actually putting up another tournament for the collegiate level with the top eight schools invited to the championships backed by Technomarine, Colours, Alaska, Rudy Project, Accel, Ayala Center, The STAR, Tokyo Tokyo, Lactacyd, 103.5 K-lite, Pioneer Insurance, Gosen and Victorinox Orginal Swiss Army Knives.