Wilfred Wong Ying Wai, executive vice-chairman of Sands China Ltd, said yesterday he hoped that the Macau Open Badminton 2025 tournament will put the special administrative region in the spotlight as the international competition’s shuttlers and media from around the world will “encounter the unique charm of Macau’s East-meets-West culture and its passion for hosting sports extravaganzas.
The six-day competition starts this morning with the Qualifying Rounds and Rounds of 32.
The event’s welcome dinner was held at the Venetian Grand Ballroom in Cotai last night. Wong delivered a speech at the dinner where he pointed out that for the second consecutive year his company is co-hosting the event with the Badminton Federation of Macau (BFM).
“We aim to build a top-level skills exchange platform for both local and [visiting] athletes by building on the success of our first collaboration last year,” Wong said.
According to a statement released on the sidelines of the dinner, the “Sands China Ltd. Macau Open Badminton 2025” tournament comprises five events: Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. The total prize money for this year’s tournament has been increased from US$210,000 (1.698 million patacas) to US$370,000 (2.992 million patacas).
Badminton World Federation President Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, who is from Thailand, said in her speech during the dinner that Macau is an “extraordinary city that beautifully blends East and West, creating the perfect backdrop for badminton excellence in Macau”.
She pointed out that Macau’s “rich heritage and modern sophistication make Macau a magnificent venue where badminton traditions bloom alongside the city’s unique elegance and spirit”.
The tournament, the statement said, is sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation, with equipment sponsored by Felet International Holdings from Malaysia. The company describes itself as “a pioneer in badminton racket technology.” The competition’s semi-finals and finals will be live-streamed on the Badminton World Federation’s YouTube channel, “BWF TV,” allowing badminton enthusiasts worldwide to witness the tournament and the shuttlers’ skills on display in Macau.
Meanwhile, Wong also underlined in his speech that while the tournament was held in September last year, this year the co-organisers decided to push it forward to this month because they were eager to attract more teenagers to watch the world-class tournament during their summer holiday, while encouraging more local residents to participate in recreational activities and also to attract more foreign visitors.
The statement said also said that public interest in this year’s tournament surpassed last year. A total of 442 players from 29 countries or regions around the world submitted their entries, with 269 qualifying. The 2025 tournament line-up includes the nation’s gold-medal Olympians Chen Yufei and Chen Qingchen, as well as Ren Xiangyu, a Team China player who has won multiple titles in Super Series in recent years.
Meanwhile, local players are competing in all five tournament events; the six players who qualified are Pui Pang Fong, Leong Iok Chong, Vong Kok Weng, Ng Weng Chi, Pui Chi Wa, and Chan Hao Wai.
The tournament starts today at 10 a.m. and ends on Sunday. A total of 53 matches are scheduled for today.
Badminton World Federation President Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul (centre), Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR Department of Publicity and Culture Director Wan Su Cheng (third from left), Sands China Ltd Executive Vice Chairman Wilfred Wong Ying Wai (third from right), and other representatives pose during yesterday’s welcome dinner at The Venetian Macao Grand Ballroom in Cotai. – Photo: Armindo Neves
