KUALA LUMPUR – The Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships (BAMTC), a qualifier for the Sudirman Cup, could be held in China for the first time next year.
While nothing has been finalised, Badminton Asia (BA), the regional governing body, is expected to announce the host city for the tournament early next month.
The inaugural BAMTC took place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2017. The upcoming 2025 edition, the fourth in the tournament’s history, is scheduled to run from February 11 to 16.
Speaking to Scoop today, BA secretary-general Datuk Kenny Goh said: “Several countries have submitted bids to host the tournament. We expect BA to make an official announcement at the start of next month.”
The last two editions of the BAMTC were held in Hong Kong (2019) and Dubai (2023) respectively.
Since the tournament’s inception, powerhouse China has won the title twice, while Japan has claimed the championship once.
The top four semi-finalists will automatically qualify for the Sudirman Cup, the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) premier mixed team championship, scheduled from April 27 to May 4 in Xiamen, China.
Malaysia have never progressed beyond BAMTC’s quarter-finals, though they have always secured qualification for the Sudirman Cup through their overall team ranking points.
Last year, Malaysia were defeated 3-2 in the quarter-finals by eventual champions China. – September 23, 2024