ISC Badminton Open to return in Abu Dhabi next month

The India Social Centre UAE Exchange Centre Badminton Open will be held on February 2-19. The event will include 16 different categories for a total purse of Dh40,000. Early entries include the defending men's champion, Arun Kumar, from Qatar, and the Bahrain champion, Jafer Hussain. The centre's president, Sudhir Shetty, said the tournament was traditionally the biggest sporting event at the centre in terms of participation and one of the longest standing sporting events in Abu Dhabi, having been launched 33 years ago. "The Badminton Open is the first sporting event to be staged at the new premises," he said. " The matches will be played in four courts with a viewing capacity for more than 1,000 spectators. The game is very popular and this tournament draws the best players from the region. This competition is open to all nationalities residing in the Gulf region, and it is not unusual to receive entries from the national players from other Gulf countries. The event draws the cream of the players."