Badminton Asia, on Tuesday, announced the draws for the upcoming 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships to be held in Malaysia next month.
The continental competition, which will serve as a qualification event for the 2024 Thomas and Uber Cup, is slated to be held between February 13-19 with a total of 15 teams in the men’s section and 11 teams in the women’s section.
While the Indian men’s team, led by HS Prannoy and the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, have been handed a tricky draw, the women’s team from the country have an easy path to the quarter-finals.
The Indian men will have to go up against China and Hong Kong in their Group A league matches. Only the top two teams from the league stage will move into the knockout stages.
The women’s team led by two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, on the other hand, have a knockout spot already assured with only China drawn in their Group W.
With the 2024 Paris Olympics qualification ranking points also up for grabs in the competition, all the top shuttlers from the Asian continent are expected to flock down to the tournament to solidify their standings to make it to the quadrennial event.
Additionally, all the four semi-finalists in both the men’s and women’s sections, will also have the opportunity to book their ticket for the 2024 Thomas and Uber Cup, which will be held in China in April.
Draws
Men
Group A: India, China, Hong Kong
Group B: Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, Brunei
Group C: Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar
Group D: Indonesia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia
Women
Group W: China, India
Group X: Indonesia, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan
Group Y: Thailand, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates
Group Z: Japan, Chinese Taipei, Singapore