Welcome to the Badminton Bonanza! 🏸
Gather ’round, folks! On October 19, the finals of the 2024 National East-West, South-North, and Middle Badminton Competition—the Li-Ning Ningbo Olympic Sports Cup—kicked off at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. And by “kicked off,” I mean more than 600 badminton masters from all across this vast land of ours descended upon the courts like a flock of overly competitive seagulls. Who needs a royal rumble when you can have a birdie battle!
What’s the Buzz?
This event is like the Olympics for amateurs, set up by the Chinese Badminton Association, and it’s been 28 long years in the making before it decided to strut its stuff in Ningbo! Tan Yunlong, the director of the Group Department of the association, revealed that participants were handpicked through eight fierce regional rounds. Wild cards, folks! Because who doesn’t love an underdog story?
Wide Range of Competition
Now, let’s talk age! We’re talking about more age groups than a pensioner’s bingo night here—seven in total, spanning from the fresh-faced 16-year-olds to the seasoned 64-year-olds! Yes, that’s right: retired pros over 50 are in the mix, proving to us all that you’re never too old to whack a shuttlecock. And let’s be honest, they’ve probably been hitting that birdie longer than half of you have been alive!
Game scene. (Photos courtesy of the organizing committee)
Why Ningbo and Why Now?
In recent years, Ningbo has hosted more national and international events than your local pub’s beer tasting nights! From last year’s National Badminton Championships to this year’s Asian Badminton Championships, it seems we’ve hit the badminton jackpot! Why? Because Ningbo has decided it’s time to show off those snazzy sports facilities.
High Standards for a High Stakes Game
According to Tan Yunlong, this tournament isn’t just about the competition. Oh no! It’s about fostering a love for badminton—like a matchmaking service for racquets and shuttles! It also shines a spotlight on superb venue facilities, competition organization, and those oh-so-crucial guarantee services. Aren’t we all just here for the snacks and event planning? Well, at least I am!
Badminton: The sport that’s never out of style.
A Two-Day Showdown
The competition raged on for two days, where participants threw down their best moves in five events: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. Ah, the sweet thrill of competition! A whopping 29 champions were crowned. Among these lucky champions, those from Groups A and B get to strut their stuff at the 2025 National Badminton Challenge. It’s like winning a golden ticket, but without the chocolate factory—sorry, Charlie!
Meet the Players
Let’s take a peek at our local badminton enthusiast, Huang Ting. He’s been at it for over a decade, slicing and dicing his way through the amateur ranks. “It’s about making friends and improving my level,” Huang shared, clearly missing the point about the glory of trash-talking your opponents in the parking lot.
Then we have Liu Zipan and He Jingfei, the young mixed doubles pair making waves like a couple of rock stars. Liu, fresh from Ningbo No. 3 Middle School, has dreams of snatching scholarships through his smashing prowess. And He, a first-level athlete, claims that practicing badminton is a great way to prep for the college entrance exam. Who knew shuttlecocks came with a side of academic advantage?
Liu Zipan (right) and He Jingfei’s post-game media moment. 🥇
Age is Just a Number… With a Smash!
And let’s not forget about You Yue and Zhou Chenghui, the dynamic duo from the 60-64 age group—proving that even in their golden years, you can still throw down a solid rally! You might assume it’s a leisurely affair, but with over 40 years of play under the belt, these gentlemen aren’t just here for the cake and tea. According to Zhou, “This venue is the best!” And he doesn’t even have his glasses on.
So here’s to badminton, a sport as inclusive as a karaoke night in a corner pub! It welcomes everyone—the young, the elderly, and everyone in between—all ready to wield their rackets and dodge those pesky shuttles like they owe them money.
Conclusion: It’s More Than Just a Game
At the end of the day, badminton is more than a sport; it’s a chance to socialize, challenge oneself, and, of course, to show off a little! So, if you see a badminton court near you, don’t be shy—grab a racket, gather some friends, and get smashing! Who knows? You might even meet that special someone who appreciates your *birdie* flipping skills as much as you do!
On October 19, the finals of the 2024 National East-West, South-North, and Middle Badminton Competition “Li-Ning Ningbo Olympic Sports Cup” kicked off at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. More than 600 badminton masters from all over the country came on stage to challenge for the championship of each category in the finals.
“The National East, West, South, North, and Middle Badminton Competition is a national fitness badminton event set up by the Chinese Badminton Association for amateur badminton enthusiasts. This is the first time the event has been settled in Ningbo in the 28 years since its establishment.” Tan Yunlong, director of the Group Department of the Chinese Badminton Association, told reporters in an interview It was revealed that this tournament selected the players to participate in the finals through 8 regional rounds and the Ningbo wild card round. “As the largest and highest-level mass badminton event in the country, the age span of the participating players is very large, and the competition starts from There are 7 age groups from 16 to 64 years old, including retired professional badminton players over 50 years old.”
Game scene. Unless otherwise noted, the pictures in this article are provided by the organizing committee
In recent years, more and more national and even international events have been hosted at the Olympic Games, including last year’s National Badminton Championships and this year’s Asian Badminton Championships and other high-level badminton events.
“Through these competitions, on the one hand, it reflects the love of badminton from all walks of life in Ningbo, and on the other hand, it also demonstrates good venue facilities, competition organization, guarantee services, etc. Therefore, Ningbo Olympic Sports Center applied to host the National East-West, South, North, and Middle Badminton Competition Finals , and it was successfully implemented.” Tan Yunlong said that this event not only established a competitive platform for amateur badminton masters across the country, but also attracted the attention and participation of many badminton enthusiasts.
This finals is a national fitness six-star event hosted by the China Badminton Association, hosted by the Zhejiang Badminton Association, Ningbo Municipal Sports Bureau, Ningbo Jiangbei District Sports Bureau, and fully implemented by Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Operations Management Co., Ltd.
The competition lasted for two days. More than 600 players from 7 age groups competed in five events: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. 29 champions were ultimately determined. Among them, the individual champions of Groups A and B will be qualified to participate in the 2025 National Badminton Challenge; the individual champions of Group A will be qualified to participate in the 2025 National Badminton Individual Championships to compete with professional badminton players across the country.
Ningbo local badminton enthusiast Huang Ting participated in the men’s singles Group B competition. He said: “I have been participating in badminton for more than ten years and have participated in many amateur events. As amateur players, we also hope to communicate through more event platforms. Competing, making more friends, and constantly improving your level. Playing on a professional venue like the Olympic Sports Center is a rare enjoyment for amateur players. After all, the lights, rubber, etc. here are all ordinary balls. The contestants are also experts from all over the country, so the atmosphere is unparalleled.”
It is understood that in order to present high-quality events, Ningbo Olympic Sports Center provides guarantee for this event with professional competition standards, from the lighting layout of the venue to the electronic timing and scoring system of the event, from reception services to logistics support, etc. Implemented according to the standards of large-scale competitions.
Badminton is a sport that is suitable for all ages and has a good mass base. This event is a good platform for meeting friends and exchanging ideas through the game.
Liu Zipan/He Jingfei is a young mixed doubles pair. The former is a student of Ningbo No. 3 Middle School and the latter is a student of Ningbo University. They have all started badminton training since elementary school. Among them, He Jingfei is already a first-level athlete. She said that practicing badminton “will be of great help to her college entrance examination.” Liu Zipan also said that he hopes to get more good results in various competitions and “get into the university of his choice through sports.”
Liu Zipan (right)/He Jingfei were interviewed by the media after the game. Photo by reporter Dai Bin
You Yue/Zhou Chenghui, who participated in the 60-64 age group competition, are a cross-provincial pair. You Yue is from Jiangsu and Zhou Chenghui is from Hunan. “This is the third time we have participated in the competition together. We usually train locally.” You Yue said that he has been playing for more than 40 years, but it is purely a hobby. “First of all, it is for physical health, and then through long-term training I will gradually improve my level and hope to participate in various competitions and compete with badminton enthusiasts from all over the country to prove myself.” Zhou Chenghui said: “The venue for this competition is the best I have ever experienced in terms of hardware and quality. Software, everything is good!”
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责编：李伯玺 ]
