Pictured: Gronya Somerville. Photo credit: Australian Olympic Committee Another Olympic debutant in Tokyo is Gronya Somerville, representing Australia in the Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles events. Gronya came close to qualification in Rio 2016 with her partner, Setyana Mapasa. However, Mapasa was ruled ineligible by the governing body following complication with her nationality change from…
Australia’s Simon Leung will be travelling to Tokyo next week to compete in the Mixed Doubles draw at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Alongside his partner, Gronya Somerville, Simon is the two-time reigning Continental Champion in the mixed doubles. Their 2020 title came within the timeframe of their Olympic qualification campaign, backed by other results…
Australian Olympic Committee Press Release. Photo credit: Badminton Australia The Australian Olympic Committee has announced the Badminton team for Tokyo 2020, with Gronya Somerville, Wendy Chen, Setyana Mapasa and Simon Leung to represent Australia. Somerville, Mapasa and Leung all make their Olympic debut, while Rio Olympian Chen returns for her second Games. Boasting more than…
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) in partnership with the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) have opened a new cycle of scholarships for WAoS’ and the University of London’s Postgraduate Certificate in International Sports Management. The programme provides unique opportunities for dual-career athletes who have chosen to pursue their education without giving up their elite sporting…
Pictured: Members of the Akavi family storm to the top of the podium at the Cook Islands Games 2020 The International Day of Families is a movement observed by the United Nations to raise awareness around the importance of communities and families and their significant impacts on one another. Jean and Daniel Akavi, from the…
UPDATE (28/05/21): Following the latest lockdown in Melbourne announced by the Victorian lockdown on 28 May 2021, the YONEX City of Melbourne tournament mentioned below is now postponed. The new dates are to be confirmed. Friday 14 May 2021 marks ten weeks to go until the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Following their…
Eight junior players from the Cook Islands will be travelling to Auckland this week to take part in a 10-day badminton bonanza. Throughout the week, the youngsters will be competing in the North Island Bay of Plenty U15/U19 Open from 23-25 April and Waikato U17 Open on 1 and 2 May 2021. In between the…
The expansion of Badminton World Federation’s ‘i am badminton’ integrity campaign has gone from strength to strength during the COVID-19 pandemic with 31 new regional and national ambassadors onboarded across nine languages. This follows the unveiling of a new batch of global ambassadors last April. The emphasis has been on raising awareness through digital activations…
Picture: Justine Villegas, New Zealand. For New Zealand’s Justine Villegas, 2021 is brimming with optimism as she looks to put the woes of 2020 behind her. Villegas launched on to the badminton scene as an under-17 player, which is typically ‘late’ for a player who qualifies for the TOTAL BWF Sudirman Cup a few years…
Badminton Oceania, with the support of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) are pleased to announce Remi Rossi (Tahiti) and Dgeniva Matauli (New Caledonia) as the regional ambassadors for the ‘i am badminton’ integrity awareness campaign. Gold medallists in the men’s and women’s singles disciplines at the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games, Remi and Dgeniva are familiar…