China Likely to Host Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Next YearNext year is likely to see finals of the Thomas Cup and the Uber Cup, the most prestigious badminton events to be hosted in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, according to sources from International Badminton Federation (IBF) on October 24.The press release said that the IBF has recently discussed with the Chinese Badminton Association, Guangzhou Badminton Association and Guangzhou government over the possibility for Guangzhou to host the grand events. The IBF has ample reason to give the city the honor for it had held the successful World Youth Championship last year. The Executive Committee of IBF will hold a meeting in Bangkok next month for deciding the hosting city. If Guangzhou win the bid, it's going to be the first time for China to host the Thomas Cup and the Uber Cup. Beijing has hosted the World Badminton Championships in 1987. Last year China won four golds of five badminton events in Sydney Olympic Games and three golds of five events in World Badminton Championships. The Chinese women's badminton team, current champion of the Uber Cup, has already witnessed a record of having won seven championships in the Uber Cup history. And the Chinese men's badminton team has won the championship for four times in the Thomas Cup. Now the Philippines and Thailand are the two other countries that are contending with China for hosting the grand events. By PD Online Staff Huang Ying |
People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |