By Sajeev K Peter

KUWAIT: The stage is set for the 7th edition of the Kuwait Badminton Challenge (KBC 2022) which will be hosted by the Indian Badminton Association (IBAK) on October 6,7 and 8. Teams from many countries including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, India, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia will participate in this three-day-long tournament in addition to the participation of many local clubs from Kuwait.

"Many leading badminton players of the world, past and present will glamorize the event. The IBAK officials have been on their toes for the last couple of months to ensure a smooth conduct of the event," said IBAK Chairman Dr Manimara Chozhan while addressing a press conference. "Since KBC 2022 is taking place after the break caused by the COVID pandemic, we hope to relaunch the tournament in a big way and provide an exciting time to all the participants. The first match of the tournament will start on October 6 at 2.30 pm at the state-of-the-art facility in IBAK Salwa gym.

Kuwait's badminton loving fraternity is going to witness some high-octane badminton in the coming week," he said. He said IBAK will have representations in the tournament. "The IBAK All Stars have been five times champions and are the defending champions. IBAK will additionally be represented by two more teams; the IBAK Challengers and IBAK Torpedoes," he said.

Team Victor who were runners up in many previous editions, Team 5.30 and Shuttle Stingers from India will be the teams competing in the team event and players from these events will also be taking part in the open events as well. This annual tourney hosted by IBAK has become a popular spectacle amongst the badminton fraternity in Kuwait and is looked forward to with great zest, he added. IBAK was founded in April 2010 as a non-profit organization committed to the popularization of badminton in Kuwait, nurture young talent and serve as a place for members to improve their game.