The game of nine legs launched its first one in Jingzhou. On April 13, the 2024 Li Ning & Chen Long Badminton Open (Jingzhou Leg) was opened at Jingzhou Cultural and Sports Center. Attendees included leaders at all levels, Chen Long, 2016 Olympics Champion in Badminton Men’s Singles, and Wang Shixian, a women’s badminton world champion.
Tian Bingyi, Vice Chairman of Chinese Badminton Association, announced the start of the game and kicked it off with leaders and guests.
“I am very pleased that the first leg of the Badminton Open will be held in Jingzhou. We will fully prepare to make it an outstanding and distinctive sports event.” Yan Hong, Deputy Mayor of Jingzhou said in her welcome speech that Jingzhou is a national high-level sports talent pool and a national role model city for badminton promotion. She also said that it was the first time that Jingzhou held the Badminton Open, which would play a crucial role in enhancing the city’s appeal and influence. She added that, for badminton enthusiasts, this Badminton Open spurred and inspired them and would surely further boost the popularity of badminton-related activities in Jingzhou. She wished all the best for this game and hoped that all participants would achieve excellent performance. She also welcomed all athletes and guests to travel around Jingzhou after the game and have a wonderful time.
"I hope that all players get motivated through sports, show their best on the court and enjoy this badminton game.” Ren Maocheng, General Manager of the Badminton and Tennis Division of Li-Ning (China) Sports Goods, introduced basic information of the badminton open: This game is hosted by Li-Ning (China) Sports Goods and hosted by Jingzhou Cultural and Tourism Bureau to present a professional and fair platform that advocates sportsmanship for badminton enthusiasts, and advance the popularization and development of badminton. It starts in Jingzhou, the hometown of Olympic badminton champion Chen Long, and will also be held in Nanning, Nanjing, Wuhan, Xi’an, Beijing, Changchun, Fuzhou, and Kunming.
Chen Long said, “Jingzhou is the place where my career and my dream began. No matter how far I go, I can’t forget my roots. This is why I returned to Jingzhou to share the happiness brought by badminton with everyone.”
"In the game, whatever difficulties and challenges your face, you must stay calm, believe in yourself, and dare to challenge yourself. You should never give up before the shuttlecock falls to the ground.” As an experienced badminton player, Chen Long not only shared his valuable experience, but also interacted with the audience to enliven the atmosphere.
At the opening ceremony, Chen Long and world-renowned supermodel You Tianyi were also appointed as the “Jingzhou Ambassador for Cultural Tourism.” Their letters of appointment were redesigned by Wang Xuanzhen, an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, based on silk embroidery from the Warring States period in Jingzhou Museum. They combine the characteristics of the Chu culture in Jingzhou with intangible heritage, and are purely handmade with an ancient embroidery method called lock stitch. They are elegantly shaped with a noble and exquisite color.
At the event, Chen Long and Wang Shixian also held an exhibition match with three lucky children. They hoped to encourage more of them to play and fall in love with badminton.
It was learned that this game would last for two days with two groups: the junior group and the adult group. Each group has men’s and women’s singles, and each match consists of the best of three games of 11 points. Participants include more than 1,000 badminton enthusiasts.