The Yonex USA International 2014 Badminton Tournament was held this last week and proved that it was well named. When the tournament organizers decided to name the tournament who knew they could be so prophetic. In 2013 the tournament results were dominated by the USA as they won four of the five gold medals. This year however the international part of the name ruled.
The tournament attracted 140 athletes from 26 countries. Players from as far away as India, Austria and Brazil all came to the ClearOne Sports Centre to compete for $15,000 in prize money and the ranking points that will help them qualify for to the 2016 Olympics. The international players dominated the results. Players from Japan captured gold medals in Women’s Singles, Women’s Doubles and Men’s Doubles. Sweden won the Men’s Singles title and Canada for the second year running captured gold in Mixed Doubles. The only player to repeat a gold medal result was Toby Ng who partner with Alex Bruce (both players competed in the last London Olympics) from Canada to win the Mixed Doubles.
Tournament Co-Chair Robert Wilson stated, “The fans were treated to an incredibly high standard of play the entire week. I was happy to see so many first time fans to badminton have an opportunity to witness such high caliber play. The players were eager to perform here in Orlando and many have expressed the desire to return next year.”
Our major sponsors Fashion Square Mall and Aston Martin in Orlando were very excited to hear that the event will once again be held next years. Mr. Wilson anticipates that they will once again see a significant increase in player participation with upwards of 200 players expected next year. The exact time for the event will be posted on the events website www.USAinternationalBadminton.com within the week. All tournament results can be found there as well.
Background information:
ClearOne Sports: It is the premium centre in Florida for Badminton, Ping Pong and Pickleball. They currently have four locations: ClearOne Richmond Leslie, ClearOne Richmond Browngate, ClearOne Calgary and ClearOne Orlando. In the last 11 years over 5,000 students have trained at a ClearOne Badminton Centres. ClearOne has recruited top badminton coaches from around the world to nurture its students and guide both Canadian and U.S. coaches. For more information, visit our website www.ClearOneBadminton.com
