The Scottish Open 2023

Renowned international tournament The Scottish Open Badminton Championships will return to Glasgow this autumn

BADMINTON SCOTLAND is delighted to announce the return of The Scottish Open Badminton Championships at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena from 5 – 8 October 2023 after an absence of two years.

The prestigious tournament was first played in 1907 and is widely considered to be the best event on the sport’s European circuit.

In addition to representing the highpoint of Badminton Scotland’s annual tournament calendar, the prestigious competition – the world’s third oldest badminton tournament – will act as a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Badminton is the second biggest participation sport in the world, with a global fan base of 735 million. It is particularly popular in the Asia Pacific region where 52% of the population regularly watch or play badminton. The Scottish Open therefore provides an important opportunity to promote Glasgow to a massive global audience as a world-class destination. Due to the tournament’s quality and strong international entry, it gets livestream coverage across around 100 countries.

The Scottish Open’s return to Glasgow is being made possible thanks to a partnership between Badminton Scotland and Glasgow Life, the charity which delivers culture and sport in the city to enhance mental, physical and economic wellbeing. The organisations’ links date back to the 1950s when the SBU (Scottish Badminton Union) initiated the World Invitation tournament at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall.

Badminton Scotland CEO, Keith Russell, said: “I am delighted that we are able to host the Scottish Open once again and our thanks go to Glasgow Life and to our sponsor VICTOR for their funding support which is making this possible.

“The 116-year-old tournament is held in great esteem by players and coaches, including former world champions, so in October we’ll see some of the best badminton players on the planet coming to Glasgow to compete and chase qualifying points for the 2024 Olympics. The quality of badminton on show at the Scottish Open will be world-class, and we hope to see a number of Scottish players in the finals. We are excited to be welcoming everyone along to the Emirates Arena to experience what promises to be a superb, memorable event for competitors and spectators alike.”

Glasgow Life Chair Bailie Annette Christie, said: “Glasgow is renowned as one of the world’s leading destinations for major international sporting events. The fact that the city is the first to be honoured twice with the title of European Capital of Sport is testament to our track record.

“We look forward to welcoming the Scottish Open Badminton Championships in October. This prestigious tournament provides another great opportunity for the global spotlight to shine on Glasgow, further enhancing our reputation as an experienced and welcoming host city for outstanding championships. The event will also provide a fabulous showcase for badminton, helping build the sport’s current and future profile.”

The Scottish Open’s significance is wider than its status as a renowned international tournament. One of Badminton Scotland’s overarching objectives has been to use the historic championships to further Badminton Scotland’s engagement with stakeholders throughout Scotland.

The event will provide Badminton Scotland with the opportunity to work with Glasgow as part of the city’s European Capital of Sport programme in 2023. It will also act as a springboard for future collaboration with Badminton Europe in hosting additional activities alongside the 2023 event, with UK Sport funding already confirmed to support an observer programme.

In addition, the tournament – which has secured significant funding from UK Sport and Glasgow Life – will provide an opportunity to offer training to volunteers and officials in preparation for the 2024 BWF World Para Series, which will require suitably trained and experienced team of support staff.

Scottish Open sponsor VICTOR, known throughout the world as one of the leading suppliers of badminton equipment has agreements with the sport’s top players as well as with some of its leading worldwide associations. At the tournament in Glasgow, the company will be providing players’ kit and shuttles, and adding value for event audiences with a merchandise stall selling a range of badminton rackets and accessories.

VICTOR Europe GmbH Managing Director, Andreas Sievers, said: “VICTOR Europe is absolutely delighted to present our brand at such an important tournament as The Scottish Open. We look forward to meeting badminton fans at the Emirates Arena and showing our products to the Scottish badminton community. Our partnership with Badminton Scotland has been in place for a year now and we are very satisfied with it and have exciting common goals for the future.”

Scottish Open tickets will be available shortly, with great offers for members, such as free tickets for the event’s Thursday and Friday matches.

 

ENDS

 

For further information:

Grania Shankley, Marketing Officer – Scottish Badminton

Mobile: 07949 165801; Email: grania@badmintonscotland.org.uk

Notes to Editors:

Scottish Badminton is responsible for the development of the sport in Scotland. Our core activities range from developing coaching and competition structures for all levels of players, coordinating participation initiatives for children through to high-performance programmes for elite players, to creating and overseeing events. While these activities represent much of what we do on a day-to-day basis, we are also very aware of our contribution to everyday life in Scotland, recognising our role and responsibilities with regard to the health and wellbeing of all our communities.

For more information, visit www.badmintonscotland.org.uk.

Glasgow Life is a charity working for the benefit of the people of Glasgow. We believe everyone deserves a great Glasgow life and we find innovative ways to make this happen across the city’s diverse communities. Our programmes, experiences, and events range from grassroots community activities to large-scale cultural, artistic and sporting events which present Glasgow on an international stage. Our work is designed to promote inclusion, happiness and health, as well as support the city’s visitor economy, in order to enhance Glasgow’s mental, physical and economic wellbeing.

For more information, visit www.glasgowlife.org.uk.

VICTOR with the headquarter for Europe based in the north of Germany, is well known throughout the world as one of the leading suppliers of Badminton equipment and have agreements with top players and with some of the world’s leading associations.

For more information, visit VICTOR Badminton | Global (victorsport.com).