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Denmark: Year 2000 Danish Open One Of World's Richest

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS report is presented by YANG YANG Badminton Products and their Western Canada agents - MAAKL Corporation, Saint Albert, Alberta (Tel 780-458-2026/ Fax 780-459-8891) **

November 25, 1999 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - The year 2000 Danish Open badminton championships will be one of the world's richest Open tournaments for the sport with a purse totalling 250,000 US dollars and with a top Grand Prix rating of 6 stars. The size of the purse, a record for a badminton competition in the western hemisphere, was announced today by the Danish Badminton Forbund (Federation).

Only the World Grand Prix Finals will top the Danish Open in terms of prize money. Among Open tournaments, only the Korean Open offers a purse as large as the Year 2000 Danish Open.

The announcement was a major turnabout for the Danish badminton organization. The previous sponsors of the Danish Open chose not to renew their agreement and the federation was in a quandary. There was even talk of having to reduce the prize money from the 120,000 US dollars that was put up for 1999.

The record purse was arranged by the town government of Farum which will now be the site for the Danish Open. Farum, a suburb of Copenhagen, plans to make itself into the sports center of Denmark and intends to attract and host other top sporting events like the Danish Open.

Farum will be building a new sports arena starting in February. The arena, estimated to cost over 6 million US dollars, will have a seating capacity of 3000. It is projected to be completed by September in time for the Danish Open.

Earlier this year, as part of its plan to be the center of Danish sport, Farum signed 1997 world men's singles champion Peter Rasmussen to a sponsorship contract. Rasmussen now plays for Farum Badminton Club which has grown into a 700 member organization.

(yyna/ds)