Singapore, Aug 05: All the newly-crowned World champions have confirmed entry for the Singapore Open Badminton Championship, the first tournament in the region since the Sars outbreak, organisers said today. Singles champions Xia Xuanze and Zhang Ning of China, Doubles winners Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen of Denmark and women's champions Gao Ling and Huang Sui of China will also be playing in the August 19-24 $170,000 Singapore event. South Korea's Ra Kyung-Min and Kim Dong-Moon - the mixed doubles champions at the recently concluded world championships in Birmingham, England - are also competing at the Singapore indoor stadium. The Singapore Open is the first Grand Prix tournament in Asia since the Korean Open in April.
Originally scheduled for May, the event was pushed back after players expressed concern about traveling to the city-state with the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic sweeping the region.
Bureau Report