JAKARTA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia is set to resume the prestigious annual international badminton tournament the Indonesia Open next month. It will draw some 236 players from 20 countries and regions, the tournament organizer said here on Tuesday.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF)-sanctioned tournament, slated for July 16-21 in Jakarta's landmark badminton arena of Istora, offers 1.25 million U.S. dollars in total prize money, the largest amount up for grabs at a BWF tournament.
"The world's best badminton players will vie in the upcoming tournament here. This makes the event one of the top ones. The event will be presented using a 'sportainment' concept that makes it different from its peers around the world," 2019 Indonesia Open Chief Organizer Achmad Budiharto told a press conference in a lavish hotel here.
The Indonesia Open is one of three prestigious HSBC BWF World Tour Super 1000 tournaments. The other two are the China Open and All-England tournaments.
Budiharto said the Indonesia Open event this year is also very important since it has been endorsed as part of qualifying events for Olympic badminton.
Indonesia Badminton Association (PBSI) Sports Development Director Susy Susanti said the need to grab points for the Olympics is obvious at the 2019 Indonesia Open tournament.
"So it's no longer the championship title alone, but also the points that matter for the players," Susy said.
Indonesia expects to get at least one championship title from the tournament, similar to their target last year.
The host country obtained two championship titles in the 2018 Indonesia Open.
