As many as 296 badminton players from 17 countries and territories around the world will be competing for top honours at the Ciputra Hanoi-Yonex Sunrise Vietnam International Challenge 2015 at Cau Giay gymnasium in Hanoi from March 17th to 22nd.

The information was released by the Vietnam Badminton Federation at a press conference on March 10th.

Among the contenders are 39 Vietnamese players and 257 international shuttlers from Taiwan (China), Hong Kong (China), Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Australia, Japan, China, Singapore, Canada, Scotland, Greece, the United States and the Philippines.

The participants will battle it out for titles in the men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles, and mixed-doubles categories with singles champions receiving USD1,125 and doubles champions earning USD1,185.

The men’s singles pision will see the absence of reigning champion and top Vietnamese player Nguyen Tien Minh. Vietnam’s hope in this category will be placed on young player Pham Cao Cuong.

Vu Thi Trang will be Vietnam’s title hope in the women’s singles event in which she is seeded third for her rank of 46th in the world. At last year’s competition, Trang ended up in third position after making it through to the women’s singles semifinals./.

VNF/Nhandan