Sports
China smash Korea to lift Badminton Asia Mixed Teams title in Dubai
Published
2 years agoon
![](https://headline.ae/wp-content/uploads/BadAsiaw.jpg)
China defended their Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships title at the Dubai Exhibition Centre when they beat South Korea in the final on Sunday. Although it was on expected lines, the Chinese dominance was still noteworthy considering that they were experimenting with a young and inexperienced side.
“It is not appropriate for me to talk about the strengths and weakness of one team in particular, but China being the powerhouse they are, their ‘B’ or ‘C’ teams also have such talent that they can compete with the world’s best,” said Moosa Nashed, secretary-general of Badminton Asia, the continental governing body.
The Mixed Team Championships gets ranking points not just for the countries, but also the individual players. “So it’s not just China, but countries such as Syria, Lebanon or the UAE – who did well as we saw in the group stages – also benefit when more and more players get such opportunities,” Nashed said.
He added that the Mixed Team Championships and the Individual Badminton Asia Championship, which will follow here in the UAE in April, are part of Badminton Asia’s intent to develop West Asia after decades of popularity for the game in the Far East. “The infrastructure and facilities in the UAE are among the best. We have been encouraged by what we have seen here and as you would know, we are committed to this region for the next five years. Next year is Paris 2024 and we are using such initiatives to promote West Asia as part of our Asia Olympic Project.”
Challenge that never was
Yet, the Olympic powerhouses China steamrolled past the Koreans, despite the pair of Kim Won-ho and Na Sung Seung getting the better of He Ji Ting and Zhou Hao Dong 21-19, 16-21, 21-17 in the third match of the final contest. Won-ho and Seung usually have different playing partners. The game alone lasted one hour and 15 minutes.
The Chinese response by the women’s doubles in the next was swift. Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning were ruthless and beat Jeong Na Eun and Lee So Hee 21-11, 21-10.
China started in the front when Lei Lan Xi beat Lee Yun Gyu 21-16, 21-15 to win the men’s singles. In the following women’s singles, Gao Fang Jie easily got past Kim Ga-eun 21-15, 21-15.
“Olympic gold is my ultimate dream, but I am focusing on present day and every tournament which will create the pathway for the Olympics. We should have dreams, but we should focus on present day,” remarked Gao after saying that she was mentally and physically prepared to tackle Sindhu on the day.
“I don’t think too much on tactics and defence. I focus on one point at a time.”
معالي الشيخ نهيان بن مبارك آل نهيان، وزير التسامح والتعايش في دولة الإمارات, يتوج المنتخب الصيني بلقب بطولة آسيا للريشة الطائرة 🏸 فئة الفرق.
واستضافت مدنية إكسبو دبي📍منافسات البطولة خلال الفترة من 14 إلى 19 فبراير🗓️ والتي شهدت مشاركة نخبة نجوم العالم. pic.twitter.com/ffPmuYgiLm— Dubai Sports Council (@DubaiSC) February 19, 2023
On the cards
China became the favourites going into the final after they beat India 3-2 in the semi-finals yesterday. India fought back from 2-0 down but lost the deciding rubber when the mixed doubles pair of Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin beat Ishaan Bhatnagar and the UAE-bred Tanisha Crasto. India and Thailand had to settle for bronze.
Earlier, Korea came back from a match down to defeat Thailand 3-1 in the first semi-finals. All the four teams have qualified for the World Mixed Team Championships, the Sudirman Cup, scheduled for May 2023.
Journalist for 25 years with leading publications in India and UAE such as The National, Mumbai Mirror, DNA, Indian Express and former Sports Editor of eIndia.com. Now managing editor of Headline.ae, part of MEMc (https://www.memc.co)
Event
Top Women Chess Players Take Centre Stage in 2024 Global Chess League Draft
Published
3 weeks agoon
August 15, 2024By
SudhashreeThe Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, is all set for the second season as 30 of the world’s best chess players were handpicked by six franchises during the Player Draft held on Sunday in New Delhi.
Following the huge success of the inaugural edition in Dubai last year, the second season is scheduled to take place from October 3rd to 12th at Friends House in London. All six teams – Alpine SG Pipers, Ganges Grandmasters, Mumba Masters, PBG Alaskan Knights, defending champions Triveni Continental Kings, and the debutants American Gambits– engaged in a thrilling bidding process to assemble strong squads for the second season of the league.
With 1000 points allocated to use during the bidding process, each franchise filled their quota of two Superstar Men, two Superstar Women, and one Prodigy player, in addition to the Icons announced last month.
The stellar line-up of Icon players include Magnus Carlsen (Alpine SG Pipers), Viswanathan Anand (Ganges Grandmasters), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Mumba Masters) Ian Nepomniachtchi (Triveni Continental Kings), and debutants Hikaru Nakamura (American Gambits) and Anish Giri (PBG Alaskan Knights).
The proceedings began with Richard Rapport getting drafted into Alpine SG Pipers, who completed their quota of Superstar Men after retaining the services of Praggnanandhaa R. American Gambits then completed their Superstar Men slots by picking Vladislav Artemiev and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo were drafted to Ganges Grandmasters, while PBG Alaskan Knights acquired Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and retained Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Triveni Continental Kings picked up Wei Yi and Teimour Radjabov.
Arjun Erigaisi, who recently broke into top five in World Rankings, expressed, “The player draft was absolutely thrilling and I am happy to turn up for the Ganges Grandmasters. They have picked versatile players and I look forward to a fantastic event in London.”
The Superstar Women dominated the Player Draft as franchises used significant amount of points from their purse to acquire their services. Apart from retaining Yan Zhongyi, PBG Alaskan Knights picked up Alina Kashlinskaya. Vaishali R and Nurgyul Salimova were drafted by Ganges Grandmasters, while Alexandra Kosteniuk and Valentina Gunina were acquired by Triveni Continental Kings. American Gambits filled in their quota of Superstar Women with Bibisara Assaubayeva and Elisabeth Paehtz, while Grandmasters Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli were retained by Mumba Masters.
Four-time Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan said, “Firstly, I am happy to be part of the Global Chess League Season 2. The opening season in Dubai created a lot of buzz in the chess world and this time, I am happy to be part of the Alpine SG in this edition.”
PBG Alaskan Knights picked up Nihal Sarin, while Mumba Masters used their remaining purse to acquire Raunak Sadhwani. Daniel Dardha went to Alpine SG Pipers, Volodar Murzin to Ganges Grandmasters, Javokhir Sindarov to defending champions Triveni Continental Kings and Jonas Buhl Bjerre to American Gambits.
Expressing excitement on joining PBG Alaskan Knights, star prodigy Nihal Sarin, said, “For someone my age, coming up the ranks in this sport, I am super thrilled to be part of the Global Chess League Season 2. I am looking forward to learn from the stalwarts playing in this season and I am happy to be part of PBG Alaskan Knights this season.”
Upon the successful completion of the player draft for this second season, Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said, “We had an action-packed day at the players draft. All six franchises have put together strong and equal teams, and with the second season taking place in London, it is poised to be bigger and more exciting. Best wishes to all the players and franchises, we are eagerly anticipating a cracking extravaganza in October.
In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.
Announcements
Praggnanandhaa, Nodirbeck, Arjun named among Superstar Men for Tech Mahindra Global Chess League Season 2
Published
1 month agoon
August 2, 2024By
SudhashreeThe Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, today announced its star-studded list of men players for the second season, scheduled to be held from 3rd to 12th October at Friends House in London.
Joining the ranks of Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Viswanathan Anand in the second season are returning Superstars, including World No. 4 Arjun Erigaisi, World No. 6 Nodirbek Abdusattorov, World No. 8 Praggnanandhaa R, and World No. 10 Wei Yi. Praggnanandhaa R, who stole the limelight in the prodigy round of the first season and was awarded Player of the Tournament for his exceptional performance, will compete in the Superstar men’s category.
Making the competition even more compelling, Vidit Gujrathi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Richárd Rapport, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Teimour Radjabov, Alexander Grischuk, Parham Maghsoodloo, and Vladislav Artemiev will also be a part of the 12-member list of Superstar men players for the second season.
Sameer Pathak, CEO of the Global Chess League, said, “We are delighted to announce the list of Superstar men players for the upcoming season. These elite players are poised to deliver thrilling and unforgettable games for their teams in the league’s innovative format that incentivizes risk-taking. We are confident that these players will deliver a remarkable chess spectacle in London.”
The first-of-its-kind franchise-based league features a total of six teams consisting of six players – one Icon player, two Superstar male players, two Superstar female players, and one prodigy in each team. In the tournament, each team will play a total of 10 matches in a double round-robin format, with the winner of each match being decided in a best-of-six board scoring system.
Announcements
Top Women Stars Wenjun, Koneru, Vaishali to Shine in Global Chess League Season 2
Published
1 month agoon
July 31, 2024By
SudhashreeThe Global Chess League, a joint venture between FIDE and Tech Mahindra, today announced the list of women Superstars who will be competing in the second season scheduled from October 3rd to 12th at Friends House in London.
In the second season, the reigning FIDE World Champion, Ju Wenjun, will be making her debut. She will be joined by World No. 1, Hou Yifan, who is returning to the premier annual chess event, alongside Indian chess Superstars Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli. The line-up also includes some of the biggest names in women’s chess, such as Kateryna Lagno, Gunina Valentina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Tan Zhongyi, and Nurgyul Salimova.
In addition, the upcoming season of the Global Chess League will feature Vaishali Rambabu, the latest Indian woman to achieve Grandmaster rank, alongside her brother Praggnanandhaa. This makes them the first brother-sister duo to participate in the league. The roster of women Superstars also includes Alina Kashlinskaya, the 2019 European Women’s Individual Chess Champion, and Bibisara Assaubayeva, former World Blitz Champion.
World Chess Champion Ju Wenjun, said, “I followed the first season of the Global Chess League and it was very exciting to watch the unique format. The tremendous response from fans and the chess fraternity made it even more special. I am eagerly looking forward to the second season in London, where I can once again immerse myself in this wonderful experience.”
Making her debut in the second season, Grandmaster Vaishali R, added, “The world of chess has long sought a worldwide sports event that places male and female players on the same pedestal. The Global Chess League is bridging this gap and truly bringing chess as a visual spectacle to television screens across the world. I am delighted to be a part of the league this year and am looking forward to competing in front of fans in London.”
Sameer Pathak, CEO, Global Chess League, said, “The roster of women Superstars in the Global Chess League is truly exciting. These champion players will deliver intense and inspiring games for their teams. Our unique format, which brings together men, women, and prodigy players on the same teams, is a game-changer in professional sports. We are confident that the fans will be captivated by the intense matches in the second season.”
Adding to the excitement, the unique joint team format of the league will be aired on major OTT and broadcast platforms worldwide, heightening the anticipation among fans.