Badminton Asia Junior Championships Held July 7-16 in Yogyakarta

– The 2023 BNI Badminton Asia Junior Championships will take place at Amongrogo Sports Hall, Yogyakarta, 7-16 July 2023. This championship will compete in mixed team events in a format similar to the Sudirman Cup which will be participated in by 14 countries and individual events from 15 countries.

In the mixed team event, 14 countries will participate, namely Indonesia, Bangladesh, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. While in individual numbers, 15 countries will take part. That is, participants from the 14 countries plus Sri Lanka.

According to the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Armand Darmadji, Yogyakarta was chosen as the venue because this city has a long history of producing seed players who were then able to make Indonesia proud on the world stage. Apart from that, it is hoped that this championship will also spur the birth of potential badminton players from Yogyakarta.

The championship is also to stimulate badminton in Yogyakarta and its surroundings. Previously, in 2017 Yogyakarta held the World Junior Championships as well as the International Series and International Challenge in 2022.

“There are at least three reasons why Yogyakarta was chosen as the venue for this championship. First, this city has a long history of giving birth to seed players who are then able to make Indonesia proud on the world stage. You can name them, Finarsih, Tri Kusharjanto, Nunung Subandoro, Sigit Budiarto, Fransiska Ratnasari, Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka, Lisa Ayu Kusumawati, to Muhammad Rian Ardianto,” explained Armand during a virtual press conference, Monday (3/7/2023).

“Secondly, we see the enthusiasm and passion of the people of Yogyakarta is quite large for the badminton championship. Last year, we held the Indonesia International Series and Indonesia International Challenge with extraordinary audience interest. And lastly Yogyakarta is also no stranger to international junior championships. In 2017, Yogyakarta successfully held the World Junior Championships at the same place,” he continued.

For Indonesia, this championship is very important as a benchmark or barometer to see how the level of development of Indonesian players is compared to other strong Asian countries. It can also be used to reflect and see how far the quality or level of play of the seeds of Indonesian junior players is at the Asian level.

Moreover, the BNI Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2023 will be the beginning of the return of this championship after being absent for three editions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The last edition of the Asian Junior Championships was held in Suzhou, China in 2019. At that time, the Indonesian mixed team team won a silver medal while in the individual category they won two gold medals through Leo Rolly Carnando/Daniel Marthin (men’s doubles) and Leo Rolly Carnando/ Indah Cahya Sari Jamil (mixed doubles),” said Armand.

Indonesia itself has hosted this Championship three times, namely in 2005, 2017 and 2018. All were held in Jakarta.

“For people who want to witness the BNI Badminton Asia Junior Championships 2023 in person, they can buy tickets via on line nor on the spot. The ticket price for the qualifying round is IDR 20,000 and for the semifinals and final is IDR 40,000,” said Armand.

In his opinion, this championship can also be a springboard for them to make glorious achievements in the future. BNI is also committed to continuing to support the development of Indonesian badminton and hopes that through this championship, young Indonesian players can inspire future generations and carry this nation’s name further on the international stage.

“We would also like to thank all parties involved in organizing this championship and the players who have worked hard to reach this stage. Hopefully this championship will be successful and provide valuable experience for all participants and spectators,” concluded Okki.

Watch live streaming of BTV programs here