MVP Cup gathers best shuttlers in Asia, Europe

This is one event that should settle the issue on badminton supremacy between Asia and Europe.

With the best of Asia and Europe’s finest clashing for bragging rights and the top $50,000 purse, expect a classic duel between these two continents boasting of the best badminton players in the world in the MVP Cup unfolding July 12 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

But more than gathering the cream of the world crop in one of the richest international events ever staged here, the three-day tournament, dubbed "Asia vs Europe, The Manuel Pangilinan Badminton Championships," also hopes to help uplift the level of play of the local talents and inspire them to become world class athletes.

"This is an event that exposes us Filipinos to standards we can’t see in just watching local badminton tournaments," said PLDT’s top honcho Manny Pangilinan in yesterday’s launching of the $80,000 event at the Mandarin Hotel.

"We also hope to develop a lasting sport where we have a chance to excel abroad and I hope this inspires our national team members," added Pangilinan, under whose honor the event will be held.

No less than China’s Lin Dan, ranked No. 1 in the world by the International Badminton Federation, and Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat, ranked eighth in the world and the 2004 Athens Olympics singles gold medalist, will spearhead the Asian campaign in the novel Ryder Cup format event.

Under the rule, there are points for each match that will be accumulated on the third and final day. There will be a total of nine matches, three to be played on each day, with each match worth one point on the first day, two on the second and three on the final day.

Like in the Ryder Cup, which pits the top golfers of the United States and Europe’s best, the third day will be crucial where team captains will try to surprise each other with the selection of players for the singles matches.

"This all the more makes this event doubly exciting. It will be the team captain’s decision on whom to match with whom in the final day," said James White of the organizing IMG.

Lin and Hidayat are expected to slug it out with German Bjoern Joppien and Danish Anders Boesen, ranked 17th and 25th in the world, respectively, in the men’s singles, while women’s world No. 2 Zhang Ning of China and Korean world No. 16 banner Asia in the women’s singles against Europe’s Mia Audina Tjiptawan, a former Indon now living in the Netherlands, and Pi Hongyan, born in China who is now residing in France.

As hosts, the Philippines will be represented in the mixed doubles event but the brother-sister tandem of Kennevic and Kenny Asuncion, ranked 24th in the world, will be ranged against Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms of England, the world’s top-ranked mixed doubles pair.

The Malaysian tandem of Chan Choon Ming and Koo Kian Keat, the world’s No. 8 in men’s doubles, will be pitted against No. 18 Robertson and Robert Blair of Great Britain while Thailand’s Saralee Thungthongkam and Sathinee Chankrachangwong, the ladies’ doubles world No. 5, will be up against Tjiptawan and world No. 4 Yao Jie, a China-born Dutch.

Telecommunications giant Smart Communications, in cooperation with Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), is bankrolling the first-ever meeting of the top badminton players in the world.

Also gracing the media launching were PBA (Philippine Badminton Association) vice president Edgardo Aglipay and representatives of the other event sponsors such as Yonex Sunrise, Nokia, Bingo Bonanza, JVC, Solar Sports, and Smart affiliates Entertainment Gateway Group and Chikka.

Organized by IMG, the event is backed by the European Badminton Union, Asian Badminton Confederation and sanctioned by the Philippine Badminton Association headed by former First Lady Amelita "Ming" Ramos.