The hunger to return to competitive badminton was evident in Dubai when the sixth edition of the YONEX Shuttle Time Club Championship was held last month. A total of 225 players from 26 teams – the highest numbers since the start of the event in 2015 – took part, proving that badminton had indeed bounced back from the enforced lull during the height of the pandemic.
Given that only two courts could be operational due to COVID-19 restrictions, the number of teams had to be limited to 26. Six teams competed in Level A, eight in Level B, and 12 in Level C. The event, conducted by UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Association, was held at Dubai Sports World over four weekends in November. The finals were held on Friday 28 November.
“There was huge demand to participate,” said Jaffer Ebrahim, BWF’s Dubai Development Project Manager. “This is the highest participation we’ve had in six years. We registered 26 teams within three days of announcing the event. In fact, we had to turn away people who wanted to watch it as spectators were not allowed. It was tough to keep people away.”
To compensate for the restriction on spectators, the organisers decided to live-stream the event for the first time.
“The challenge that COVID-19 presented was unique,” said Ebrahim. “As we were implementing safety protocols, there was no transmission of infection between the participants. We had a core group to receive feedback and discuss appropriate measures. There was also regular inspection by Dubai Sports Council and respective authorities.”
The team of technical officials at the tournament.
The team competition consisted of matches in men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles and men’s doubles (over 40 age category). The over-40 category was included as the sport has a huge following among senior players. Overall, 64 women and 161 men participated in the championship.
Ebrahim said the biggest challenge was the risk of infection among players, but thanks to the protocols in place, there was no incidence of transmission. The organisers took several measures, including the use of a thermal scanner at the entrance and volunteers taking temperatures manually. All participants had to wear face masks and maintain social distancing.
The Level A championship was won by Prime Star A over Team Yonex and carried home a trophy, cash prize, medals and goodies.
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