WORLD JUNIOR TOURNEY KICKS OFF TOMORROW
by Mike Grossman and Patrick Cuyegkeng

November 18, 1996 (New Shuttlenws) - The world junior championships of badminton starts tomorrow in the Danish town of Silkeborg. Billed as the showcase of the sport's stars of the future, this year's edition of the competition has entries from 54 nations. 167 top male and 145 top female badminton singles players below the age of 19 from their respective nations will be contesting for the right to call themselves the best junior players in the world.

82 top male and 68 top female junior doubles teams will also be in the hunt for the doubles tiltles. 125 pairs will compete for the mixed doubles championship.

Heading the male competitors are Yudi Suprayogi, Endra Mulyajaya, and Hadi Saputra of Indonesia, Xia Xunze of China, Kim Yong Hyun and Yim Bang Eun of Korea, and Ove Svejstrup of Denmark. The young ladies are headed by Yu Hua, Gao Ling and Yang Wei of China, Britta Andersen and Jane Jacoby of Denmark, and Lee Kyung Won of Korea.

The USA is represented by the PanAmerican junior male singles champion, Howard Bach. Bach is competing in the singles as well as the male doubles where he has been paired with Guillermo Perea of Peru.

Canadian entries include Andrew Dabeka, Stuart and Marianne Arthur, Bobby and William Milroy, Jody Patrick, and Brooke Harris. Canadian level doubles pairings are Dabeka and Stuart Arthur, Bobby and William Milroy, and Marianne Arthur and Jody Patrick. (Brooke Harris is paired with Katy Wilson-Smith of Australia). Mixed doubles pairings are Bobby Milroy and Jody Patrick, Stuart and Marianne Arthur, and William Milroy and Brooke Harris.

The tourney runs from November 19 to November 24. The competition for the world junior titles is a single elimination event. However, this year, the organizers have added a second division competition where players who lose their first match of the main tournament can play and gain additional international matchplay experience. The second division competition, sometimes also known as consolation round or B flight, will use the experimental best-of-5 9-point games scoring system.

The favorites in the tournament (the seedings are shown in parentheses; the listing also shows the relative placement of the favorites in the draw):

Male Singles

(1)Yudi Suprayogi - Indonesia
(9-16)Rehan Khan - Germany

(5-8)Zhu Feng - China
(9-16)Henrik Hansen - Denmark

(3-4)Dicky Palyama - Netherlands
(9-16)Chen Hong - China

(5-8)Rony Agustinus - Indonesia
(9-16)Frederik Kohler - Denmark

(9-16)Richard Vaughan - Wales
(5-8)Xie Min - China

(9-16)James Chua Kie How - Malaysia
(3-4)Rudy Ignatius - Indonesia

(9-16)Mike Joppien - Germany
(5-8)Kasper Odum - Denmark

(9-16)Kwon Dae Bong - Korea
(2)Xia Xunze - China

Female Singles

(1)Lee Kyung Won - Korea
(9-16)Zhou Mi - China

(5-8)Jane Jacoby - Denmark
(9-16)Katja Wengberg - Sweden

(3-4)Judith Meulendijks - Netherlands
(9-16)Park Yoon Kyung - Korea

(5-8)Yuli Marfuah - Indonesia
(9-16)Zhu Yunyi - China

(9-16)Donna Kellog - England
(5-8)Melisa Dewi - Indonesia

(9-16)Michaela Peiffer - Germany
(3-4)Tine Rasmussen - Denmark

(9-16)Satomi Igawa - Japan
(5-8)Lee Soon Deuk - Korea

(9-16)Ella Karachkova - Russia
(2)Yu Hua - China

Male Doubles

(1)Endra Mulyajaya/Hadi Saputra - Indonesia
(9-16)Joachim Tesche/Thomas Tesche - Germany

(5-8)Lee San Ki/Woo Hyun Ho - Korea
(9-16)Henrik Jeppesen/Kristian Langhak - Denmark

(3-4)Ove Svejstrup/Kasper Odum - Denmark
(9-16)Patrik Isaksson/Johan Holm - Sweden

(5-8)Cheng Rui/Chen Qi Qiu - China
(9-16)Chan Chung Ming/Jeremy Gan Wye Teck - Malaysia

(9-16)Rehan Khan/Mike Joppien - Germany
(5-8)Tang Soo Sen/Yap Wee Meng - Malaysia

(9-16)Sudket Prapakamol/Pattaphol Ngangsrisuk - Thailand
(3-4)Wang Wei/Wu Changqing - China

(9-16)Edwin/Noor - Indonesia
(5-8)Tommy Sorensen/Thomas Rojkjaer - Denmark

(9-16)Andrew South/Matthew Shuker - England
(2)Yim Bang Eun/Kim Yong Hyun - Korea

Female Doubles

(1)Britta Andersen/Jane Jacoby - Denmark
(9-16)Emma Gustafsson/Katja Wengberg - Sweden

(5-8)Katrin Pintrowski/Michaela Peiffer - Germany
(9-16)Yunita/Anita - Indonesia

(3-4)Danielle LeFeuvre/Donna Kellogg - England
(9-16)Lee So Young/Park So Yun - Korea

(5-8)Lu Ying/Zhan Xuban - China
(9-16)Lene Mork/Jane Bramsen - Denmark

(9-16)Katy Brydon/Alison Reid - England
(5-8)Chung Jae Hee/Yim Kyun Jin - Korea

(9-16)Anne Honscheid/Petra Overzier - Germany
(3-4)Line Larsen/Tine Rasmussen - Denmark

(9-16)Ella Karachkova/Alena Tkacheva - Russia
(5-8)Vita Marisa/Eny Widowati - Indonesia

(9-16)Kaori Mori/Naoko Miyake - Japan
(2)Gao Ling/Yang Wei - China

Mixed Doubles

(1)Kim Yong Hyun/Yim Kyung Jin - Korea
(9-16)Cheng Rui/Gao Ling - China

(5-8)Kristian Langbak/Jane Bramsen - Denmark
(9-16)Andrew South/Alison Reid - England

(3-4)Zhu Feng/Yu Hua - China
(9-16)Joachim Tesche/Katrin Pintrowski - Germany

(5-8)Patrik Isaksson/Johanna Persson - Sweden
(9-16)Endra Mulyajaya/Vita Marisa - Indonesia

(9-16)Michael Jenssen/Lene Mork - Denmark
(5-8)Yim Bang Eun/Chung Jae Hee - Korea

(9-16)Wu Changqing/Yang Wei - China
(3-4)Rizal/Neneng Setiawati - Indonesia

(9-16)Choi Min Ho/Lee So Young - Korea
(5-8)Thomas Tesche/Jeanette Ottrembka - Germany

(9-16)Matthew Shuker/Katy Brydon - England
(2)Ove Svejstrup/Britta Andersen - Denmark

(A complete list of entries may be found on http://www.badminton.org).