BADMINTON IS A NCAA COLLEGE EMERGING SPORT
Badminton has joined with the Shreveport Regional Sports Authority to bring the US Adult National Badminton Championships to Shreveport, Louisiana.
Players will compete in men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles for the title of United States Adult National Badminton Champion. The feature event will be the men’s doubles team of Kevin Han (Orange, California.) and Howard Bach (San Francisco, California.). Han (1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympian) and Bach who were nominated to the 2004 US Olympic Team on May 1. Han and Bach, the reigning 2003 Pan American Games gold medalists, will be competing in the 2004 U.S. Adult National Badminton Championships as a warm up for the 2004 Olympic Games as it will be the 1st U.S. event in which they will compete following the 2004 Olympic Qualifying period (May 1, 2003 – April 30, 2004). The event will also give spectators a glimpse into the future of USA Badminton, displaying the talent of the 2003 Pan American Games bronze medal winning mixed doubles team of Mesinee (May) Mangkalakiri and Raju Rai, as well as young Jamie Subandhi, who at thirteen years-old was the youngest member of entire 2003 USA Pan American Games delegation.
“USA Badminton is extremely excited to once again partner with the Shreveport Regional Sports Authority to, this time bring the 2004 U.S. Adult National Badminton Championships to LSU-Shreveport,” said USA Badminton Executive Director Dan Cloppas. “This year’s tournament not only offers spectators a chance to see America’s finest badminton players as they prepare for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, but also provides the opportunity to view America’s next generation of badminton Olympians.
We are extremely pleased with the partnership we have forged with the Shreveport Regional Sports Authority and are looking forward to another wonderful event.” The 2004 U.S. Adult National Badminton Championships will be the 4th major USA Badminton event held in the city of Shreveport in 6 years. Last June, Shreveport hosted the 2003 U.S. Junior National Badminton Championships. Shreveport has also played host to the U.S. Senior National Badminton Championships twice, hosting the event in 1999 and 2001.
The U.S. Adult National Badminton Championships, 1st held in Chicago, Illinois. in 1937, is sanctioned by USA Badminton , the National Governing Body for the sport of badminton in the USA.
This year’s tournament, the 64th U.S. Adult National Badminton Championships, will be held in a new location for the 1st time since 1997. For the past 7 years the event has been held at the Orange County Badminton Club in Orange, California. For more information, please contact Cecil Bleiker with the USOC Media and Public Relations Division at (719) 866-4608 or by e-mail at Cecil.Bleiker@usoc.org, USA Badminton at (719) 866-4808 or Mary Ann Tice, Executive Director of the Shreveport Regional Sports Authority at (318) 429-0660.
