The 2014
Axiata Cup returns with the promise of another exhilarating episode when the top
Asian and European players assemble in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur for the top
purse this November. Organised by Axiata Group, one
of Asia’s largest telecommunications companies, and in collaboration with
Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC) and Total Sports Asia (TSA), the Axiata
Cup remains badminton’s richest team event in the world with a total prize
money of USD1 million (RM3.3 million) on offer in this third edition.
Eight teams will play each other over
seven consecutive days during the preliminary round stage at the Britama Arena Sports
Mall, Kelapa Gading in Jakarta from November 27-December 3 followed by the
semi-finals and finals on December 6-7 at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium
(KLBA) in Cheras. The format of play for the Axiata Cup remains the same as
last year where each tie in the Axiata Cup consists of four matches - men and
women singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles.
The
top four teams with the most points after the League round qualify for the
Play-off’s which will be held in Kuala Lumpur. The top seeded team will play
the fourth-placed team and the second-placed team will play the third ranked
team after the preliminaries.
All-Star Europe, who finished fifth last
year earning USD60,000, will once again join the fray alongside All–Star Asia in
the championships. Joining them will be marquee players from Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines.
Last year Malaysia, led by
World No. 1 Datuk Lee Chong Wei, clawed back from a game down in this mixed
team event to beat Thailand 3-1 in the 2013 Axiata Cup Final at the KLBA
Stadium.
Besides the champions
earning USD400,000, prize money for the remaining teams will be distributed with the runners-up
picking USD200,000, third-placed USD150,000; fourth USD100,000; fifth USD60,000;
sixth USD40,000; seventh USD30,000 and USD20,000 for finishing in eighth spot.
Axiata Group Chief Executive Officer,
Dato’ Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, said since its inception in 2012, the Axiata Cup has been
badminton’s most lucrative team competitive event with the objective of
broadening the sports' fan base and exposing new talent.
“For the third year in a row, the Axiata Cup is still the
world’s richest team prize purse for badminton team championship, USD1 million.
It has also hosted some of badminton’s biggest names since its inception in
2012. This year the thrills and spills will continue as a stellar eight-team
line-up is in store for all the badminton fans out there,” said Dato’ Sri
Jamaludin in his opening remark at the launch in Kuala Lumpur.
“Having already placed ourselves in the record books with
just two years to show under our sleeves, we, together with our partners,
subsidiaries and associates throughout the region are keen on breaking more
records,” added Dato’ Sri Jamaludin.
This year, Axiata has cast a wider net by announcing the
inaugural edition of the Axiata Cup Juniors which is channelled to develop a
new breed of junior players.
“We at Axiata hope that this initiative will provide
Malaysia a bigger pool of players to develop from. Exposing young players at an early stage is
vital and competing in the Axiata Cup Juniors is about playing and feeling the
excitement of a true professional badminton player,” he stressed.
The preliminary round of the Axiata Cup Juniors begins on
October 31 and will witness an estimated 1,200 players between 13-16 years of
age competing in the tournament.
Badminton Asia Confederation
(BAC) president, Tan Sri Dr. Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, acknowledged that Axiata Group with the support from BAC and
Total Sports Asia has taken the sport of badminton onto a whole new dimension, creating
a new event for the players and spreading the news and action of the
competition in a more global and innovative branding, using the most
sophisticated ways, ideas and digital media platforms.
“The Axiata Cup has
truly become an important stop on
the badminton tour calendar in the ASEAN region and will provide the
biggest challenge for some of the leading players in the world while fans can
enjoy a whole new experience as well,” said Tan Sri Mohd Nadzmi.
“Being an award winning event, the Axiata Cup
will once again be an exciting display of action by the players, for the fans
and the media. We hope that everyone can support this event by joining the
excitements and real-life actions at the stadiums in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur,
watching it live on the television or on other digital platforms,” Tan Sri Mohd
Nadzmi added.
The BAC, he stressed, is committed to
creating new opportunities for member associations and with the support from
forward-thinking companies such as Axiata Group Berhad, there will be a long
and continuous growth and success in the Asian badminton community.
The Axiata Cup 2012 was named the No.1 event in the
Event Marketing Category of the 7th International Sports Event Management in
2012 and in 2013 Axiata Cup won the bronze medal in the Best Use of Technology
category in ISEM 2013 Awards.
#AxiataCup
