By Ashutosh Raina

India’s best badminton players will take on Denmark and Indonesia in the Division 1 qualifying rounds of the TOTAL BWF Sudirman Cup 2017 to be held at the Gold Coast, Australia from May 21-28 2017.

The Sudirman Cup is the world’s premier mixed badminton championships and the historic Gold Coast event marks the first time it has been held in Australia.

Indian badminton stars Ajay Jayaram, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, Manu Attri, Reddy B. Sumeeth, Jakkampudi Meghana, S Ram Poorvisha, Sanjana Santosh, Arathi Sara Sunil, Prnaav Jerry Chopra and Reddy N. Sikki are likely to be selected if free of injury.

To maximise the success of the event, a Community Ambassador Program has been launched with over 200 Community Ambassadors inducted in three events hosted in the Gold Coast at Jupiters Casino, in Sydney at the Genea Netball Centre and at KPMG Docklands in Melbourne.

The Community Ambassador program is managed by Red Elephant, the Sudirman Cup fan engagement agency who sourced Community Ambassadors from a number of sectors including community, sport, business and education with the aim of building awareness and engagement outcomes for the event.

Patrick Skene, Executive Director of Red Elephant said: “The Community Ambassador program is important in ensuring the tournament is well supported by the communities of the 27 competing nations.”

Mr. Vinayak Kolaape, President of the Victorian Cultural Association and a Community Ambassador said: “It’s a privilege for Australia to host the Sudirman Cup and we look forward to bringing the Indian community together and getting behind our team.”

The Melbourne Community Ambassador induction was attended by the Tournament Director and Badminton Australia Director Loke Poh Wong along with special guests from Badminton Victoria and suppliers Yonex.

“There was a sense of excitement in the room tonight.” Said Loke Poh Wong. “A lot of communities are looking forward to welcoming and supporting their badminton stars.”

The special guest in Melbourne was Lenny Permana, a female badminton player who represented Australia in the 2002 Commonwealth Games. In Sydney the special guest was Anna Lao, Australia’s most successful badminton player who represented Australia in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Anna Lao said: “I’m proud that the Sudirman Cup is hosted in Australia and this is a wonderful opportunity for me to be a Community Ambassador and share my badminton passion!

Other guests included Mr S K Verma, Consul representing the Consul General of India and Carolyn Toh, Badminton NSW.

Host nation Australia has entered the tough Group 2 competition drawn against Singapore, the USA and Austria.

More than 500 million people worldwide are expected to tune in to watch the BWF TOTAL Sudirman Cup 2017 when it is hosted at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure centre in Carrara from 21-28 May 2017.

For more information visit www.sudirmancup.com.au

Team India Qualifying matches:

1. 12pm Monday 22 May, 2017 – India vs Denmark

2. 6pm Tuesday 23 May, 2017 – India vs Indonesia

Register for the India Badminton fan club.

www.culturalpulse.com.au/badmintonfans

Buy tickets to the Sudirman Cup 2017 tournament:

Tickets:  www.ticketek.com.au (search Sudirman Cup)

Group Tickets: tickets@redelephantprojects.com

(More than 10 and Corporate Hospitality)

Groups for Total BWF Sudirman Cup 2017

Group 1 -Total BWF Sudirman Cup 2017

Group 1A

• China
• Thailand
• Hong Kong

Group 1B

• Korea
• Chinese Taipei
• Russia

Group 1C

• Japan
• Malaysia
• Germany

Group 1D

• Denmark
• Indonesia
• India

Group 2 – Total BWF Sudirman Cup 2017

Group 2A

• Vietnam
• Scotland
• Canada
• New Zealand

Group 2B

• Singapore
• Australia
• United States of America
• Austria

Group 3 – Total BWF Sudirman Cup 2017

Group 3A

• New Caledonia
• Macau
• Guam

Group 3B

• Sri Lanka
• Slovakia
• Tahiti
• Fiji