The forth edition of the Yonex- Sunrise BWF Metlife India Open Super series kicks off at the Siri F The sport was taken to England by soldiers returning home.
Though the sport of Badminton has its roots in India, it is ironical that a tournament of the stature of the India Open came to Indian shores as recently as 2008. Titled the YONEX –SUNRISE India Open 2008, the first tournament was held in Hyderabad from 1st to 6th April 2008. Briefly, to refresh history, badminton dates back to the 1860s when some British officers stationed at Kirkee near Poona (n
ow Pune) used to play the ‘Poona Game’ with battledores (paddles) to hit a shuttlecock across a net which separated opposing players. In 1873, the Duke of Beaufort held a garden party at his country home in Badminton. A game of Poona was played and enjoyed by the privileged gentry present. It was named Badminton because of its location, and its popularity among the elite rose ever since. Badminton has continued to grow as one of India’s favoured sports and as such the nation has become the perfect place to continue staging the India Open annual tournament. As one may recall, originally scheduled as the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2007, the maiden championship was cancelled and held a year later in 2008 due to uncertain conditions prevailing in Hyderabad at that point of time in 2007. Coincidentally, the timing of the 2008 India Open Championship and the 2012 India Open Series were critical because both events were held practically on the eve of the Olympic Games. In 2008 the matches gave players an opportunity to boost their chances of confirming their progress to the Beijing Summer Games in August of that year. Similarly, the India Open Super Series 2012 was the last badminton tournament, globally, to give players a chance to get points in order to qualify for the London Olympic Games in July. Badminton was officially granted Olympic status at the 1992 Barcelona Games. The India Open, during its three-year tenure (2008-2010), was the most prestigious Badminton tournament of the Indian sports calendar, sponsored by YONEX-SUNRISE. Offering a substantial prize purse of US$120,000, it was a BWF Grand Prix Gold Level 3 Tournament and attracted some of the best shuttlers from across the world. Badminton tournaments in India started as Grand Prix level matches and were upgraded to the India Open rank in 2008. Three years later in 2011 this championship was elevated to the prestigious Super Series status by the BWF. Professional badminton in India is governed by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) which is a member of the Badminton World Federation, the global governing body for the sport. It has indeed been a matter of pride for Yonex Co. Ltd, Japan and Sunrise & Co. Pte. Ltd., Singapore to be associated as Title and Equipment Sponsors of this prestigious tournament since its inception.
