BBC Badminton Championships returns to the NIA The All England Badminton Championships will be taking place at the National Indoor Arena from the 10th to 14th March 2004. The Yonex All England Badminton Championships will once again be staged at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena from March 10 -14 and will attract the world's best players as it is one of the final tournaments in which competitors can claim vital qualifying points for this summer's Olympic Games in Athens. The Championships, which regularly attracts the international stars of the sport, follows on from Birmingham's successful staging of the 13th World Badminton Championships last summer. England's badminton stars, including Olympic bronze medallist Simon Archer are also set to compete. Archer will be challenging for glory in the mixed doubles competition with partner Donna Kellogg. The pair have won five titles in the last few months but as well as stiff competition from overseas, they will also have to overcome fellow British pairing Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms who were ranked number one in the world last year. Cllr Ian Ward, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture said; "We are delighted that Birmingham is once again staging the All England Badminton Championships. As a National City of Sport we aim to bring international sports events to the people of Birmingham and pride ourselves on hosting more major sports events than any other UK city. This Championships is yet another opportunity for local people to enjoy a world class sports event."
