Aviva wasted no time in advertising this year's Singapore Open in "Today" newspaper today in the form of a poster. As you can see from the poster, the message was that badminton being "The World's Fastest Racket Sport Is Here" in Singapore! The picture of a giant shuttle piercing through a thick badminton programme really emphasizes the speed and power behind the bird and it then discloses in BOLD lettering how fast the shuttle can go "Catch 320 km/hr of International BADMINTON ACTION". And very subtly, the names of the top shuttlers are revealed on the peels of the broken programme and can you guess who these 7 players are? Anti-clockwise, starting from 12 o'clock, they are Ronald Susilo (our local hero of course), Chen Hong (last year's winner), Peter Gade (European Champ), Mia Audina, Taufik Hidayat (Olympic Champ), Zhou Mi and Wong Choon Hann. And the message to badminton-loving fans: "Don't miss your chance to feel the badminton fever first hand! With over 300 international professional shuttlers, including the world's top 10 seeds, this will be an event of heated matches with high-powered shots of up to 320 km/hr! Expect thousands of spectoators rooting for their favourite players. So, let's come in full force to cheer for the Singapore team headed by our Olympics hero Ronald Susilo!" I have a feeling that this will be the best Singapore Open with a record crowd and attendance cheering for their favourite players. Singaporeans are expected to go all out to support their local heros and heroines! Welcome to the Singapore Open. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
I didn't realise that an F1 car is that SLOW (hehe) I must suggest to Aviva, if they are again the sponsor for next year, to ask their advertising house to create a poster as follows: The shuttle, enlarged to the size of a racing car, just pierced through the giant badminton net at the finish, with a F1 racing car driven by 'Shoemaker' a shade behind! The SPEED of the bird must be illustrated boldly for emphasis. Now, if this doesn't cause a impact, I don't know what will.
Loh, I know this if off topic but I wanna know if the Singapore Indoor Stadium where the Sg Open 2004 is going to be held is the one in Kallang?? Do u know how can I get there? MRT or bus? Thanks!! I'm really looking forward to attend the tournament
Take MRT to Kallang MRT station, go out and get bus 11. The duration of bus is about 30-40 mins, so you should go to Kallang MRT 'bout 1 hour before showtime. Website: http://www.sis.gov.sg/
Thanks a lot!! But according to the info from the website u gave, it says it's only 10 mins walk to the stadium from the Kallang MRT station.How come the bus needs 30-40 mins??
Hi Bresis, I see your location is Malaysia or are you a student in Singapore, quite used to Singapore transportation. Yes the SIS is located in Kallang. It has a diamond-shaped roof, quite unique in design. It is situated quite a walking distance from the open-roof National Stadium, also in Kallang. Unfortunately there is no MRT Station within the stadium vicinity, although the new Circle Line will have one built there when it is completed, perhaps in two year's time, together with a new national stadium to replace the current aged one which will be destroyed. Probably hdson knows better than me on public transportation and I think his description is not too far wrong. Although the Kallang MRT stadium seems quite close by (actually nearer to the SBA than the SIS) you must allow for stoppages for passengers ascending and descending and red traffic lights. If I have to take a bus, I'll do so near my office at Raffles Place (outside Caltex House) and it probably takes me about 10min to reach the SIS from my bus stop opposite the Clifford Pier, where the Merlion is located at the mouth of the Singapore River. Do ask for directions if unsure. Good Luck and enjoy yourself!
hmm, depending on where you are coming from ... alighting at City Hall MRT station seems a better option for me. Then walk across road to a bus stop near raffles hotel, there is a bus to SIS ... less than 15 mins reach door step of SIS liao! One year ago since I took it ... I think is service 16 if I am not wrong.
Is "The World's Fastest Racket Sport" an IBF trademark, or at least slogan? These are the clapping sticks they were handing out at the World Juniors.
Hi 604badder, at least now I can put the name to the face. I saw you with the 'punky hairstyle' panhandle at your other more popular post on the World Junior Championships. You look very strong and tough. Thanks for those pics and the hard work you've contributed to the success of that tournament. It is good to see quite a number of BFers volunteering their services. Yes these clapping sticks are commonly distributed at international meets nowadays. Yonex used to sell them but later gave them out FOC. At least now they printed the name of the event and not just that of the sponsor. The other day I went to the SBA (Singapore Badminton Association) office and was given a few of the Aviva Singapore Open posters. They do look nice and I will give out to any foreign BFer who comes by to watch the Open. I have actually booked 3 season tickets for BFers from Brisbane and NZ. The Open begins in 2 weeks and we should expect many of the top guns in badminton to cross swords. The standard will definitely be higher than the World Junior Championships. Some of the top players have confirmed participation. All the best players from Malaysia will be here, after being banned for two months. The top Chinese players include the top ladies like Zhang Ning (not long after her marriage), Gong Ruina and Zhou Mi and the men, Chen Hong, Bao Chunlai, etc. The big disappointment is that both Lin Dan and Xia Xuanze, who made news during the European tournaments, will not show up. Unfortunately, our very own heros, Ronald Susilo and Li Li will also miss the action as they are unfit, Ronald currently suffering from tonsilities and Li Li, from knee injury. Gopichand, ex-All England champ from India, will be here too. We should expect more top names from Europe and Asia very soon. Hope you will be able to view some of the proceedings, espeically the finals, on TV.
