Richmond Olympic Oval Hosts Racket Rally 2009 from April 3-5
26 February 2009The Richmond Olympic Oval announced it will host Racket Rally 2009, an International Round-Robin Invitational featuring three of each of the top Badminton and Table Tennis players in the world. Taking place from April 3-5, 2009 at the Oval, Racket Rally 2009 will be staged in an intimate 1,950 seat stadium set up on the Oval floor. Presented by the Fairchild Media Group, the event will be broadcast on both Fairchild Television (Cantonese) and Talentvision (Mandarin).
The event will be the first of its kind in the world, and one of few times players of this caliber have competed in North America.
“The Richmond Olympic Oval is thrilled to be hosting Racket Rally 2009. After seeing the popularity of both Table Tennis and Badminton at the Beijing Olympics we can’t wait to see some of the best summer Olympians right here in our own Olympic venue,” said John Mills, General Manager, Richmond Olympic Oval. "With today's exciting announcement, the Oval will now play host to Olympic calibre speed skating, table tennis and badminton, plus wheelchair basketball, all before we host the Games in 2010," said Mills.
Featured Badminton players include:
- Peter Gade of Denmark (#4 in the world, European Champion)
- Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia (#7 in the world, Gold Medallist in the 2004 Olympics, 2005 World Champion)
- Andre Tedjono of Indonesia (#18 in the world, winner of 3 Grand Prix events in 2008)
Along with featured Table Tennis players:
- Chen Weixeng of Austria (2007/08 European Champions League winner)
- Robert Gardos of Austria (Semi-finalist in 2008 Olympics – doubles)
- Leung Chu Yan of Hong Kong (Quarter-finalist at 2004 Olympics)
Racket Rally features a three-man round-robin match format for each sport, taking place over four sessions on three days. Players will compete for total prize money of $20,000. Each session will feature both a badminton and table tennis match with the final match for each sport featured on Sunday, April 5.
In addition to the ticketed competitive tournament, event partners Badminton BC and the BC Table Tennis Association will each be hosting tournaments as part of the Racket Rally Festival. The Racket Rally Festival will see the 512,000 square foot Richmond Olympic Oval overtaken by racket sports. One third will contain the 1,950 seat stadium court while the balance will feature dozens of table tennis, badminton and even tennis courts. The general public can see the Festival free of charge, watch some competitive table tennis and badminton matches and even try their hand at these deceptively fast sports themselves by participating in clinics and coaching sessions.
"We're delighted that the Richmond Olympic Oval is already demonstrating their post-Olympic legacy use as a centre for sports excellence and a health and wellness centre for the community," said Brock Turner, CEO of Badminton BC.
“Along with our friends in the Badminton community, the BC Table Tennis Association is delighted that the Oval is providing us the opportunity to showcase our sport as part of Racket Rally 2009,” said Amelia Ho, President of the BC Table Tennis Association.
Tickets for Racket Rally 2009 will be offered as a four-session series package or on a per session basis with Series tickets starting at $110 and single session tickets starting at $33. Exclusive Row 1 VIP Courtside Seats are also available starting at $100 per session and include VIP hospitality and parking. Tickets go on sale Saturday, March 14 at 9 a.m. at all Ticketmaster outlets, charge-by-phone at 604-280-4400 or online at www.ticketmaster.ca/racketrally.
For information about how to participate in the Racket Rally Festival tournaments for both Badminton BC and the BC Table Tennis Association, visit www.badmintonbc.com or www.bctta.ca.
For more information on Racket Rally 2009 visit www.racketrally.net.
