SHAH ALAM: Get ready for a week-long top-notch badminton action in Selangor as Asian badminton stars head to Shah Alam for the SELANGOR Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024 (SELBATC) which gets underway here, next month.
The State of Selangor is hosting SELBATC for the second time after first playing host to the prestigious tournament in 2022.
The six-day SELBATC 2024 is scheduled at Setia City Convention Centre (SCCC) in Shah Alam, from 13 to 18 February.
The Badminton Asia Team Championships is among the biggest badminton events held under the sanction of Badminton Asia (BA), the governing body for badminton in Asia, currently represented by 43 member associations from five sub-regions across Asia.
This will be the third time that the Championships is hosted in Malaysia. The first tournament was held in Alor Setar, followed by Selangor in 2022.
Apart from being a qualifier for the Thomas and Uber Cup 2024 scheduled in Chengdu, China in May, SELBATC 2024 is sure to attract attention from the world’s top players as it offers ranking points for qualification to this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
The continental tournament will see Asian players across including top stars from top seed teams China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia locking horns in pursuit of berths in the upcoming Thomas and Uber Cup in China.
The Selangor state government has stepped up to commit as host for the prestigious continental tourney once again following the successful organisation of SELBATC 2022.
SELBATC 2024, which will see the participation of more than 350 players and officials from 15 nations, was officially launched today by Yang Berhormat Tuan Mohd Najwan Halimi, State EXCO for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneurship, who is also the tournament’s organising committee chairman.
SELBATC 2024’s men’s team competition will feature 15 teams which include the top four seeds China, Indonesia, Japan, reigning defending champions Malaysia, India, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Korea, Hong China, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar and Brunei.
The women’s competition will have 11 teams in action which include China, Japan, Thailand, defending champion Indonesia, Chinese Taipei, India, Malaysia, Hong Kong China, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan.
Yang Berhormat Tuan Mohd Najwan Halimi, State EXCO for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneurship said as one of the most successful states in Malaysia, Selangor, with its rich tradition in sports culture, will continue to support the hosting of major international events in the state.
“The hosting of SELBATC for the second time is proof of the State’s commitment to enhancing sports culture and its industry, and at the same time, deriving social and economic benefits for the people through sports tourism activities in the state,” he said.
“We are indeed honoured to be given this opportunity to once again host BATC in Selangor, a state with rich sporting tradition and history, not to mention, a proven destination for many international events. The hosting of BATC is proof of the State’s capability and the international badminton fraternity’s trust in the state as a capable organiser of major international events,” said Tuan Mohd Najwan.
He added: “Fans, not only in Selangor but across Malaysia and Asia, can look forward to a week of top-notch badminton action, live at Setia City Convention Centre. Selangor, with the support and backing of the governing body Badminton Asia, will continue to help uplift the standard of badminton through the organisation of prestigious events such as SELBATC 2024.”
Selangor is now the first state in Malaysia to host the tournament twice. Alor Setar, Kedah was the first Malaysian state to play host in 2018, since the inaugural competition in Hyderabad, India in 2016, and Manila in 2020.
Also present at the event launch, and announcement of sponsors and tournament tickets were BA Secretary General, Datuk Kenny Goh, who is also the Secretary General of Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), Executive Director of the Selangor State Sports Council, Tuan Mohamad Nizam Marjugi and BA Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Chooi Weng Sheng.
SELBATC 2024 is organized with Selangor State as Host and the Title Sponsor, sanctioned by Badminton Asia with Badminton Association of Malaysia being the governing national body. Astro as the Official Broadcaster and Victor as the Official Partner has come onboard for SELBATC 2024 which is co-organized by Selangor State Sports Council & RSM Sport
