Kuching: After more than a decade, the annual Malaysia Open badminton championship will be held in Sarawak for the second time next year.Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) council member Abdul Hadi Abdul Kadir said no exact date had been fixed yet but it was expected to be held in July.
"SBA president Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain has received an offer letter from the parent body, Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) in Kuala Lumpur recently to host the prestigious event," he told Bernama here Wednesday.
Abdul Hadi said when receiving the offer letter, Abdul Aziz who is also the State Secretary "felt very honoured and pledged that SBA would give its best efforts to ensure the events to run smoothly."
"The last time we hosted the championship was in 1993 and we hope that after 2006 we can have a chance to host the most prestigious badminton championship in this region,"he said.
In the 1993 championship, Indonesia ruled the courts when they swept the men's singles, the men's doubles and women's singles after Ardy Wiranata, Ricky Subagja-Rexy Mainaky and Susi Susanti respectively emerged as men's singles, doubles and women's singles champion.
Abdul Hadi, who is also SBA's development and training committee chairman, said the state's Indoor Stadium in Kuching had been picked as the venue for the championship.
"We will make early preparation from the logistic aspects as well as publicity," he said.
He said SBA planned to conduct a statewide roadshow in a bid to attract more crowds to watch the championship.
On the SBA side, he said, the association would focus on improving the standard of local players to enable them to play better in the qualifying rounds. - AFP
