Badminton Asia Team Championships set next month

The top officials of Badminton Asia, the Philippine Badminton Association, and the coaches of the Philippine team take a photo together at the conclusion of the pre-tournament press conference of the Badminton Asia Team Championships. Ivan Saldajeno

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—The Philippines gets set to host the 2020 Badminton Asia Team Championships.

Fresh from a successful hosting of the Southeast Asian Games, the country will now host the premier badminton team tournament in Asia.

The Badminton Asia Team Championships will run from Feb. 11-16 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

On Wednesday, the 12 participating countries finally found where their men's and women's teams will face early into the competition at the conclusion of the draw at the nearby Century Park Hotel.

The Philippine women's team found itself in an all-Southeast Asia group, while the Philippine men's team will have a quick showdown with no less than the top seed of the tournament.

The Filipina shuttlers join Thailand and Indonesia in Group Y, while the two other teams representing Southeast Asia, Malaysia and Singapore, were drawn to Groups W and Z respectively.

Joining Malaysia in Group W are top seed Japan and Hong Kong, while Singapore will test the mettle of China and Chinese Taipei in Group Z. Group X consists of South Korea, India, and Kazakhstan.

On the other hand, the Philippine male badminton team also found itself in the same group with Indonesia, but in the men's division, Indonesia is the top seed and is expected to dominate Group A, which also has India in it.

Group B has China, Thailand, and Hong Kong, Group C has Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, and Singapore, and Group D has Japan, South Korea, and Kazakhstan.

The preliminary phase will run in a single round robin format with the top two teams per group qualifying for the quarterfinals. The eventual semifinalists for both divisions will qualify for the Thomas and Uber Cup in Denmark.

The Badminton Asia Team Championships will also serve as part of the qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, where teams can rack up points that will push them closer to a spot in the Olympiad.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno