BACKGROUND

The Hong Kong Open Badminton Championships (Badminton Championships) is one of the legs of the World Grand Prix Events. It was since 1982 that the Hong Kong Badminton Association has hosted the Badminton Championships for 31 times. From 2004 to 2006, the Championships was upgraded to a 6-star event with a total prize of US$250,000. Starting from 2007, the tournament was included as a Superseries event by the Badminton World Federation and therefore it was also named as the YONEX-SUNRISE Hong Kong Open Badminton Superseries. Later in 2012, its total prize increased to US$350,000 and further reached US$400,000 (equivalent to over HK$3.1 million) in 2016, hitting the highest prize record in the history of the Badminton Championships. Starting from 2018, the Badminton World Federation renamed the "BWF World Superseries" as "BWF World Tour", and Hong Kong is one of the host cities.

Every year, the Badminton Championships attracts world's top 10 elite players to join the competition in Hong Kong, involving over 20 countries or territories such as China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Japan, England, Denmark, etc.

The Badminton Championships was awarded the "M" mark status by the Major Sports Events Committee in 2005, making it an annual major sports event in Hong Kong. Apart from providing an opportunity for the public to enjoy a world-class tournament, it stimulates their interest towards the sport of badminton. On average, a total of more than 200 overseas players, coaches and staff will come to Hong Kong for the competition every year, while quite a number of badminton fans make their special trips here to enjoy the excitement. This will not only help raise Hong Kong's profile, but also facilitate the development of local tourism.

For more information

The above information is provided by the Hong Kong Badminton Association.