Ikoyi Club (1938) has provided one of the best end of the year competitions for badminton players this season, with 32 of the country’s best stars ready to rumble for monies ranging from N500, 000 to N100,000.
The competition is the Third Ikoyi Club National Badminton Classics, which is returning after a 24-year hiatus.
READ ALSO: Panathinaikos president Alafouzos taking Greek football to task
The revived championship will hold alongside Nigerian Badminton Hall of Fame, which is being introduced to celebrate those that have contributed in several ways to the growth of badminton in the country.
Unveiling the programme for the Classics at the weekend, Nigeria Badminton Federation President, Francis Orbih, said the competition will start on Wednesday and end Saturday with the induction of a distinguished member of the badminton family into the Hall of Fame.
He disclosed that the 32 players (16 men and 16 women) will be grouped into four to play in a round-robin format with qualifiers from each group going into the quarterfinals. Orbih disclosed that the players qualified based on their positions in the national rankings, which was straightened by the recent Mutual Benefits Championships.
“This is a revival of the Ikoyi Club National Badminton Open, which started in 1989 and was held yearly up to 1998 when it became Ikoyi Club National Classics, which was open to only the best of the country’s stars.
“The first two editions of the Classics were held in 1998 and 1999 and since then none was held until now that we are reviving it.”
“It is on record that for the 11 years that it was held, so many national and international stars emerged from the championship,” he said.
According to Orbih, the first three winners, men and women, will earn N500, 000, N300,000 and N150,000 each.
“The money is graduated till the least player as every participant will get some money for featuring. Again, we do not discriminate as the men and women will earn the same amount depending on where they finish.
“Alongside the Classics will be a Nigerian Badminton Hall of Fame, where every year we induct someone into the Hall. The inductees are people who have contributed to the growth of badminton in Nigeria. We want to appreciate them while they are still alive. The awards and induction will hold after the final game.”
Also speaking on the Classics, Captain of the club’s Badminton Section, Thomas Adeoye, said its revival is a dream come through.
Adeoye, who said that many of the country’s stars have been inundated the club with requests to revive the championship, added that Ikoyi Club has one of the best badminton facilities in the sub-region, which has trained some of the top stars ahead of international meets.
“Some of our players are still fighting to qualify for the Olympic Games and our facilities readily come to their aid when they have to prepare for big championships. The Classics will also help those who need better rating to achieve that before the Olympics, while playing for the biggest purse in the sport.
“Many of the past winners of the Classics have signified interest in being part of this event and we are ready to host them.”