The Juan Carlos I pavilion of the Baena Sports City was the scene on Saturday, January 24, of the opening day of the ‘Andalusia TTR Base Cup’ Trophy, a competition organized by the Andalusian Badminton Federation and the Baena Badminton Club that brought together nearly 200 young athletes from all over Andalusia throughout the day.
The event marked the return of a top-level regional competition to the town after several years without holding events of these characteristics. This is how the president of the Baena Badminton Club explained it, Manuel Ortiz Floreswho highlighted that “We set out to get our sport back on track and, also based on bringing promotional activities, in this case at the Andalusian level, which had not come to Baena for a long time.”.
The day took place uninterruptedly from 9 in the morning until 9 at nightcovering all basic categories, from sub-13, sub-15, sub-17 y sub-19in individual and double modalities, both male, female and mixed, “It is a base cup that covers all categories and there are an impressive number of matches“, pointed out Ortiz Flores, who stressed that it was necessary to set up up to 12 simultaneous tracksa possibility that few sports facilities in Andalusia offer.
The response from the clubs far exceeded the initial forecasts, “They told us that between 80 and 100 players, but we have doubled that number“, indicated the president of the club, detailing that they finally participated 182 athletes belonging to between 20 and 25 clubs throughout Andalusiacoming from provinces such as Almería, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga or Granada. “It has been a joy for both the federation and for us that this first regional activity that we bring to Baena has this acceptance”, he added.
The elimination format allowed the participants to organize their schedules during the day, “Each player has his own calendar and knows approximately if he passes the phase and what time he has to play, which means that people can move around Baena, especially at lunch time.“, explained Ortiz Flores, who also valued the club’s organizational effort, “The board of directors, the coaches, the athletes who do not compete and the parents have been there all day to make sure everything goes well.”.
The medals were awarded at the end of the day. Without a doubt, the magnitude of the event and the intense work that a competition of this nature entails must be highlighted.
On the other hand, the celebration of the tournament has had a positive impact for both the club and the city, “For many parents and for the new board of directors it is a new experience, because before they only traveled abroad and now they are lucky to have it here in Baena. stated Ortiz Flores, who also highlighted the value of the Juan Carlos I pavilion facilities and the support received from the Sports Delegation and of Rural Bank.
A sports calendar with more events in Baena
The day of the ‘Andalucía TTR Copa Base’ Trophy will not be an isolated event. Manuel Ortiz Flores confirmed that the club is already working on new competitions in the short and medium term. “For March we have another tournament at the Andalusian level“, he advanced, also noting that “We are trying to organize another one that would possibly even be two days, a Saturday and a Sunday, for the month of June”.
Added to this is a new appointment already awarded, “We have also been awarded a day of the provincial phase that will be for OctoberIn total, the Baena Badminton Club plans at least four official activities throughout the year“This is a clear commitment to badminton and to bring sports to Baena”, stressed the president of the club.
Good performance by the Baena Badminton Club
On a sporting level, the Club Badminton Baena had the participation of 14 playersbeing the second club with the highest representation. According to the chronicle provided by the coach Fernando Molinalocal athletes achieved outstanding results.
In Under-11 Mixed Doubles, Jorge Meridatogether with Víctor Lloreda (CB Rute), got a third position. In Under-13 Mixed Doubles, Pablo Lopez and Sandra Esteban (Humilladero) achieved a second placewhile María Mérida and Ángela Montes they achieved the third position in Under-13 Women’s Doubles.
There were also podiums in under-15 categories, with Mario Castillo and Juan José Lastres third in Men’s Doubles, Juan José Lastres second in Men’s Singles and Maria Merida third in Women’s Singles. In Under-19 Men’s Singles, Raul Molina got a meritorious third position.
The final balance was very positive for the club, which continues to grow and consolidate itself in the Andalusian scene, with its sights set on the upcoming competitions that will once again place Baena as a prominent venue for Andalusian badminton.
