The 42nd edition of YONEX Dutch Junior, the international badminton tournament for youth under the age of nineteen, starts today in Haarlem. Until Sunday March 3, top athletes from all over the world will compete against each other in the DEGIRO hall. The tournament can be followed live on the radio on Haarlem105 on Saturday, March 2.
Every year, 300 to 350 youth players from around 25 countries participate in the tournament. The Asian and European countries in particular are strongly represented. “This is the tournament for youth players from all over the world,” said Thilini Scherpenzeel and Jules Bakker, tournament directors of organizer BC Duinwijck. They have both been playing badminton since their youth, and have been organizing this tournament for about eight years now. “But we are certainly not done yet, we want to improve every year. And this time, after years, we have another world-class youth player who can go very far in the tournament.”
DEGIRO hall was specially built for badminton and is therefore very suitable for a tournament like this. “There are rules that we must adhere to, for example there may be no air circulation.” In recent weeks, the team has prepared the hall for the event. Flags of all participating countries have been hung, facilities for referees have been installed, and electronics for the streaming cameras have been installed.
‘It’s already a shame that it will be over in five days’
Tournament director Jules Bakker
This tournament has been organized in Haarlem for more than forty years. What started as a small event in the region grew bigger every year and then the world association got wind of it. “Since then we have been organizing it entirely with volunteers. That generates so much positive energy,” say Scherpenzeel and Bakker. “For us this is really an annual party with the club. We will end up in a bubble for the next five days and then we will really be done, but at the same time we are already sad that it is over.”
According to the two, it is still a relatively unknown sport. “The thought of the campsite is never far away when it comes to badminton. But what we see here is the best in the world. It is the fastest racket sport there is. A shuttle can leave at four hundred kilometers per hour. When you see how high they jump and how fast they all go, that really is top sport.” According to them, the audience often does not expect this and is surprised when they come to watch. “Tennis and padel are slow games if you have seen badminton at a high level.”
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Familiarity
In addition to the competitions, other activities are also organized and the awards ceremony on Sunday will be bigger this year. “With music and lights, it will hopefully be very spectacular, just like the finals. Every year we make an effort to get more people to the hall who are not familiar with the sport in order to create more awareness.”
Sports reporter Robert Sant will be in the room this weekend, together with other reporters, and will communicate with the studio several times. Can be followed from 10:00 am via Haarlem105.
2024-02-28 12:39:20
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