The Muntinlupa City government welcomed the players and other participants to the 2022 Smart Badminton Asia Championships (BAC).
The competition started on April 26 and will run until May 1 at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Barangay Tunasan.
A total of 276 players including medalists from world championships and the Olympics from 18 countries are competing at the event, which is being held for the first time in two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Top players are competing to raise their Badminton World Federation (BWF) ranking. This year, BAC has an upgraded Level 2 Classification which equates to World Tour Super 1000 level (12,000 points to be earned).
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi urged the public to watch the competition and support Filipino athletes. He said it is an honor for Muntinlupa to host the event.
This is the country’s third time to host the Asia Championships since 1961 and 2001.
Philippine Badminton Association, Inc. (PBAD) Vice President Jude Turcuato said in a press conference at Crimson Hotel in Alabang that the event also aims to revitalize the sport and promote badminton to the public.
“I think it’s a good springboard for us to reintroduce badminton and really move forward with the sport to become a high profile and more popular again like it was before while having our athletes compete internationally,” Turcuato said.
Muntinlupa hosted the badminton event of the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. The Muntinlupa Sports Complex is envisioned to be a “sports tourism center” in the country.
Recently, the city government inaugurated its track and field oval, envisioned to be the training ground for the country’s athletes.
Fresnedi unveiled the marker at the oval located at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex on April 19 together with multiple medal winner Elma Muros-Posadas.
The venue has a warm up lane, soccer field, provision for control room, area for long and triple jump, shot put, javelin throw, discus throw, water jump, and provision for bleacher buildings.
The Muntinlupa City government had earlier inaugurated the Muntinlupa Aquatic Center, the first indoor Olympic-size swimming pool in the country, on March 1.
“We value the youth and athletes of Muntinlupa so we invest in facilities that will help them become champions in their respective fields,” said Fresnedi.
Tickets for the Smart Badminton Asia Championships 2022 are available on ticketnet.com.ph. Ticket holders should be vaccinated and must present a vaccination card upon entry to the venue.