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Lin Dan set for S’pore Open

SINGAPORE — His last appearance in Singapore two years ago hardly endeared him to the badminton public here, after his 11th-hour withdrawal from the final of the Li-Ning Singapore Open left many disgruntled.

Lin Dan now has a chance to redeem himself after his eleventh-hour withdrawal from the Li-Ning Singapore Open Final two years ago left fans disgruntled. Photo: Getty Images

Lin Dan now has a chance to redeem himself after his eleventh-hour withdrawal from the Li-Ning Singapore Open Final two years ago left fans disgruntled. Photo: Getty Images

SINGAPORE — His last appearance in Singapore two years ago hardly endeared him to the badminton public here, after his 11th-hour withdrawal from the final of the Li-Ning Singapore Open left many disgruntled.

Now, Chinese superstar Lin Dan has a chance to redeem himself.

He is set to be one of the biggest names to headline next month’s Li-Ning Singapore Open, after the event’s organiser, the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA), revealed that he, together with the Chinese national team, have submitted their registration entries for the US$200,000 (S$247,000) Super Series tournament, which will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from June 18 to 23.

Others in the Chinese delegation who have submitted their registration include men’s world No 2 Chen Long, women’s world No 1 and reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui and women’s world No 3 Wang Yihan.

“This is good news for us ... having Lin Dan here will help the event as the Singaporean audience will be happy to see him play,” said Francis Koh, Chairman of the Li-Ning Singapore Open Organising Committee. “He is still very strong and will boost ticket sales for the event. Chen Long has also become a very important player in the international arena.”

Lin Dan is considered the sport’s greatest player ever after claiming the super grand slam of nine major badminton titles in his career. However, in the 2011 Singapore Open men’s singles final, the two-time Olympic and four-time world champion quit just hours before the eagerly-awaited clash with compatriot Chen Jin, citing a stomach flu. Although he then made a personal apology and promised to return to entertain fans in future, it cut little ice with the majority of the 7,400-strong crowd, who jeered him loudly.

Koh, who is also SBA Vice-President, is hopeful fans will be happier this time. He said: “They (the Chinese national team) have registered, and while we do not know if they will definitely be here, we consider this good news for the event.”

And in another piece of good news for badminton in Singapore, Fuji Xerox Printer Channel has pledged S$35,000 to the SBA to sponsor the inaugural Corporate League 2013 and Adopt a Player Scheme for mixed doubles pair Danny Bawa Chrisnanta and Vanessa Neo.

Currently ranked 12th in the world, the Singaporean shuttlers will get S$10,000 per year from Fuji Xerox for a two-year period, with the money going towards travel expenses for overseas tournaments, nutrition, education, and professional development.

According to Fuji Xerox Printer Channel General Manager (Asean) Vincent Sim, Neo will join the company as an intern during her free time, and they are open to full-time employment opportunities with the 25-year-old after her retirement. In turn, Chrisnanta and Neo will compete for the Japan-based company in the Corporate League, which kicks off on Saturday.

“We see sport as a way to engage the community, and badminton helps to bridge the age divide,” said Sim. “We hope that in the next two years, both players will make the top 16 in the world and qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games. My challenge to them is to break into the top 10.”

Neo, 25, hopes her two-year partnership will reap rewards this year, as the pair head into the Sudirman Cup in Kuala Lumpur (May 19-26), Thailand Open (June 4-9), Indonesia Open (June 10-16) and Singapore Open.

Said Neo, winner of the 2011 New Zealand International Challenge mixed doubles: “We definitely have progressed since working together in 2011, as we share a good chemistry and playing style as we are both attacking players. We had our ups and downs, and missed out last year’s London Olympics by one world ranking place, which was disappointing. The Olympics is the ultimate dream and I didn’t stop playing because I want to fulfil that dream.”

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