Tag: 2024 China Badminton Open

  • Chen Qingchen Interacts with the People of Her Hometown Meizhou

    Chen Qingchen Interacts with the People of Her Hometown Meizhou

    Chen Qingchen, who did not participate in the 2024 China Open, recently returned to her hometown, Meizhou, to share her hard-earned glory and joy with the local community.

    On the morning of September 10, at 9 a.m., amid enthusiastic applause and cheers, a bus decorated with a banner reading “Warmly Welcome Paris Olympic Champion Chen Qingchen Back in Glory” slowly drove into the Xingning City Exhibition Center, escorted by police motorcycles. Cannons fired in celebration, and people waved national flags, welcoming the hero who brought honor to the country in the most enthusiastic way.

    At the welcome ceremony, key officials from the Meizhou Sports Bureau and the Xingning City Government personally presented Chen Qingchen with a sash bearing the title “Olympic Champion Chen Qingchen.” They also presented flowers and souvenirs to her, her family, and her first coach, Zou Shiwen. During the meeting, both the Meizhou Sports Bureau and Xingning City Government gave her commemorative gifts and a limited edition painting.

    After the welcome ceremony, Chen Qingchen and her entourage visited Xingning No.1 High School, where she interacted with teachers and students. She shared her personal growth experiences and training insights, encouraging students to bravely pursue their dreams and persevere. The atmosphere was warm and lively, and the students expressed their desire to follow Chen Qingchen’s example by working hard and striving for excellence.

    During the opening ceremony of the “100 Counties, 1,000 Towns, 10,000 Villages” series—Meizhou’s Xingning County Badminton Tournament, Chen Qingchen performed the opening serve for the match. Her presence once again ignited the enthusiasm of the audience, who cheered her on loudly.

    Li Junpei, Deputy Director of the Meizhou Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism, personally awarded Chen Qingchen a special certificate appointing her as the “Meizhou Cultural and Tourism Ambassador.”

    This certificate not only recognizes Chen Qingchen’s personal achievements but also acknowledges her influence and appeal as a public figure. As the “Meizhou Cultural and Tourism Ambassador,” Chen Qingchen will take on the responsibility of promoting Meizhou’s culture and tourism. With her personal experiences and influence, she will showcase Meizhou’s beautiful scenery, rich culture, and tourist attractions, attracting more visitors to Meizhou and contributing to the development of her hometown’s economy and society.

  • Liang/Wang Duo Compete at China Open

    Liang/Wang Duo Compete at China Open

    The 2024 China Badminton Open will kick off on September 17, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, in Changzhou, Jiangsu. From this event onwards, the BWF will officially increase the world ranking points for the tournament, aligning them with the China Open’s Super 1000 status. The prize pool for the China Open is a staggering $2 million, far exceeding other tournaments of the same level. What excites Chinese fans even more is that Team China will be fielding most of its main players, including the highly popular Olympic men’s doubles silver medalists, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, who will return to the court after missing three post-Olympic events. China will also bring its strongest team across all categories.

    This year’s China Badminton Open will be the first event under the BWF’s revamped points system. The new system aims to ensure a fairer relationship between prize money and ranking points for Super 1000 events. The four top-tier tournaments in the BWF World Tour include the Malaysia Open in January, the All England Open in March, the Indonesia Open in June, and the China Badminton Open in September. The BWF’s minimum prize money for Super 1000 tournaments is set at $1.3 million, but the China Open’s prize pool is a whopping $2 million, exceeding the standard by $700,000. This makes it the second highest-paying badminton tour event in the world, behind only the BWF World Tour Finals, which offers $2.5 million. The singles champion at the China Open will receive $140,000, while the doubles champions will earn $148,000, making it a highly lucrative competition.

    In terms of ranking points, under the new system, the China Open champions will earn 13,500 points (up from 12,000), while runners-up will receive 11,500 points (up from 10,200). Semifinalists will get 9,500 points (up from 8,400), and quarterfinalists will earn 7,400 points (up from 6,600). This means that players who reach the semifinals at the China Open will accumulate more points than the champions of Super 500 events (9,200 points) and the runners-up of Super 750 tournaments (9,350 points). Even reaching the quarterfinals at the China Open will grant players more points than winning a Super 300 event (7,000 points), making this event highly attractive for players.

    The China Open will also mark the first time Team China competes with a full squad following the Paris Olympics. As the host nation, with high ranking points and a significant prize pool, it’s a must-attend event for China’s top players. Originally scheduled to compete in the Hong Kong Open, men’s singles stars Shi Yuqi and Li Shifeng have withdrawn to focus on the China Open. Men’s doubles duo and Olympic silver medalists Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang will also make their comeback at the China Open after a series of off-court activities. Their participation is sure to draw significant attention from fans, given their soaring popularity after the Paris Olympics.

    Paris Olympic mixed doubles champions Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong will headline the mixed doubles competition, while China’s No. 2 women’s doubles pair Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning will join forces once again. Newly crowned Olympic women’s doubles champion Jia Yifan will pair with Zheng Yu in this tournament.

  • Axelsen secures Hong Kong open title

    Axelsen secures Hong Kong open title

    Viktor Axelsen has finally added the Hong Kong Open to his list of achievements, clinching one of the few BWF Super Series titles that had previously eluded him.

    Throughout the tournament, Axelsen demonstrated exceptional form, culminating in a commanding win over China’s surprising finalist, Lei Lan Xi, with scores of 21-9 and 21-12 in the final. “I’m thrilled to have won this tournament, as my celebrations showed,” Axelsen said. “This was one of the tournaments I hadn’t won before, so finally achieving it is a fantastic feeling.”

    Reflecting on his performance, Axelsen noted, “I maintained a consistent level throughout the match, with only a few errors at the beginning of the second game. Overall, it was a superb final.”

    Axelsen will now turn his attention to the Super 1000 VICTOR China Open 2024, where he will defend his title this week.

  • Lee Zii Jia Climbs to World No. 3

    Lee Zii Jia Climbs to World No. 3

    Men’s singles player Lee Zii Jia has moved up to No. 3 in the world rankings, closing in on his career-best position of No. 2.

    The 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medalist has edged past Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, who has fallen to No. 7 after a challenging few months.

    Lee Zii Jia now trails only Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen (No. 2) and China’s Shi Yuqi (No. 1).

    He previously held the No. 2 spot in October 2022.

    The 26-year-old is set to make his return to competitive play at the China Open in Changzhou from September 17-22, following the Olympics.

  • China Open Badminton Tournament Prize Pool Reaches $2 Million!

    China Open Badminton Tournament Prize Pool Reaches $2 Million!

    Starting from next week’s China Badminton Super 1000 tournament in Changzhou, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) will officially increase the world ranking points for the World Tour, giving players from various countries/regions extra motivation with the “more generous” points.

    The China Open, held from September 17 to 22, will be the first tournament to debut under the new BWF world ranking points system. This event, with an impressive total prize pool of $2 million, will be the first to implement the revised world ranking points system by the BWF.

    The new world ranking points system aims to create a fairer correlation between Super 1000 event prize money and ranking points.

    The $2 million prize pool of the China Open exceeds the BWF’s minimum requirement of $1.3 million for Super 1000 events, with an additional $700,000. This increase in prize money also means the points awarded for the tournament will be significantly boosted.

    Under the new world ranking points system, for Super 1000 events with at least an additional $500,000 in prize money, the champion will now receive 13,500 points (previously 12,000), the runner-up will receive 11,500 points (previously 10,200), semifinalists will get 9,500 points (previously 8,400), and quarterfinalists will earn 7,400 points (previously 6,600).

    Although the Indonesia Open in June is also a Super 1000 event, its prize pool meets the minimum requirement of $1.3 million, so its world ranking points remain unchanged. The other two Super 1000 events are the Malaysia Open in January and the All England Open in March.