Melvin Thu and Ray Ngan of Great Neck will be among the players when Long Island Sports Center (LISC) hosts the Badminton Winter Junior Open 2017, the first tournament of its kind, on Feb. 4 and 5 at 22 Lumber Rd. in Roslyn.
Badminton is an Olympic sport with five events: men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Badminton and table tennis are now among the varsity sports in New York City Public Schools, and badminton has been offered in high school sports leagues in Long Island schools for many years. More than 30,000 students from more than 200 schools participate and compete in the league.
As the premier badminton, table tennis and indoor soccer facility on Long Island, LISC’s mission is to foster national and international amateur sports competition, and hopes to receive the support of the community that’s enthusiastic about these sports that can enrich an athlete’s life. This junior tournament is sanctioned by USA Badminton (USAB) and counts for 10 percent of Junior National Ranking points.
The LISC Badminton Winter Junior Open is expected to host approximately 120 athletes from more than 11 states, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, North Carolina and California.
“USA Badminton would like to thank Long Island Sports Center not only for its efforts in putting on this event but also for supporting the game that we all love,” said Jeff Dyrek, chief executive officer of USAB. “Their support, commitment and enthusiasm makes this event possible.”
LISC welcomes students, families, teachers and schools to view the live tournament for free. LISC’s state-of-the-art facility has great spectator viewing areas, seats hundreds of people and is recognized as one of the finest badminton facilities in the United States, which regularly hosts badminton and table tennis competitions. For more information or to volunteer, visit www.longislandsportscenter.com/tournaments.
