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| Members of the Philippine national badminton team after their podium finish in the 2022 Yonex Sunrise International Badminton Challenge (Image Source: Manila Standard/PLDT Group) |
Staunch advocates of badminton and inspired by PLDT Group chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP)’s love for the sport, the MVP Sports Foundation (MVPSF) and PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) have been supporting the Philippine Badminton Association through the years until now. Aside from building the MVP Center for Sports Excellence in Antipolo in 2021 which houses eight courts where the national athletes can train, the MVPSF will also back the Philippine Badminton Association in the mounting of the Philippine Badminton Open in Makati City on February 20 to 26, 2023. This will be part of the national team’s preparation for the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in May this year.
“Aside from contributing to the training of our national team, we are also maximizing opportunities to support the development of badminton in our country – from grassroots to our national team. Our love for badminton stems from the belief that sports promote values like discipline, mental resilience, and sportsmanship, which could help us all become better people,” said Smart Assistant Vice President and Philippine Badminton Association Secretary-General Christopher Quimpo. Expected to bring in 500 to 600 players in five divisions – men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles – the Super 500 tournament will have a total of Php1,000,000 prize pot. The Philippine Badminton Association will also introduce the country’s first official ranking system for badminton this year. Interested athletes can register through the tournament’s official portal via https://tinyurl.com/PHIBadmintonOpen on or before February 5, 2023.
Smart has also lauded the performance of Filipino smashers in their campaign for 2022. The national team has risen in global rankings because of these consecutive podium finishes in the past couple of months. “We are very proud of our Philippine national badminton team. We’ve always seen their potential and we are glad to see them reaping the fruits of their labor. We still have a long way to go, but with the right support and right team to back our players, we know that they can succeed,” said PLDT and Smart Head of Sports Jude Turcuato. Alvin Morada and Christian Bernardo bagged the Men’s Doubles Championship in the Benin International 2022, Runner Up place in the Yonex-Sunrise Bangladesh International Challenge 2022 and VN Da Thanh – Felet Vietnam International Series 2022. The Filipino national team also bagged the Mixed Doubles championship with Morada and Alyssa Ysabel Leonardo, Mixed Doubles runner up place with Bernardo and Thea Marie Pomar, and Women’s Doubles gold medal with Pomar and Leonardo in the same Vietnamese tourney. The Philippines also bagged the Men’s Doubles championship with Bernardo and Morada, Women’s Doubles bronze medal with Pomar and Leonardo, Mixed Doubles championship with Morada and Leonardo, and Mixed Doubles bronze medal with Pomar and Bernardo in the Cameroon International held last year. All these achievements have boosted the country’s ranks in global badminton – pushing the Philippines to the 66th in the world badminton rankings.
