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Shuttlers out for Sudirman Cup campaign
China face two tests next month as the nation's badminton players go out to win the Sudirman Cup mixed team championships and Beijing shows off its ability to host a major world sporting event. The event will be held from May 10 to 15 at the Beijing Capital Gymnasium. The draw was made yesterday for the world's third team badminton event after the Thomas Cup for the men's team and Uber Cup for the women's team competitions. China, which won the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh Sudirman Cups, are in Group 1B with traditional powerhouse Indonesia, Hong Kong and Sweden. Defending champions South Korea are in Group 1A with European contender Denmark, England and Thailand. South Korea have won the cup three times and Indonesia once. While the above eight teams will be vying for the title, 34 other teams will play for promotion. China won the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup in 2004 and a victory in the Sudirman Cup will make it the first country to win all three team titles. The host team are in high spirits after the players put in strong performances in this month's German Open and All-England Championships. Chinese players won four out of five titles on both occasions. In order to make the event a success, Beijing organizers started preparations right after the International Badminton Federation awarded the hosting rights to the Chinese capital in 2003. China's head coach Li Yongbo said South Korea, China, Denmark and Indonesia are in the top echelon while the other four have little chance of reaching the final four. But teams like Hong Kong, which has acquired Indonesian players, and Thailand, may pull off an upset. Matches are played in the best-of-five games format and feature men's and women's singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
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