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NMBA to hold Badminton Open 2021
The CNMI’s Janelle Pangilinan gets ready near the net, while partner Andrew Galvez, left, stays back and team captain Nate Guerrero, right, looks on during their game against Samoa last Monday in the XVI Pacific Games in Samoa. (Samoa Pacific Games photo)
Northern Marianas Badminton Association will hold a singles, doubles, and mixed doubles competition starting this weekend at the NMBA Gymnasium inside the TSL Sports Complex in Gualo Rai.
Dubbed Badminton Open 2021, the tournament is sponsored by TakeCare Insurance Company Inc. and registration is free.
Tournament director and NMBA board member Janelle Pangilinan said the association deemed it’s about time they introduced an individual and doubles competition after staging a couple of team events earlier in the year.
“We decided to start out with team tournament for two main reasons. One of them is because we have a lot of new players so it gives them a chance to play with the experience players and create partnerships that way. The other reason is because we wanted the badminton community at NMBA to just come together to bond and enjoy some friendly competition,” she said.
The nature of singles tournaments is more about competition, so Pangilinan said it just made sense to start with a more inclusive and friendlier team format to start the year.
“As opposed to an individual tournament where your mindset is really more on the competitive side of the game. Hence why we made the picks at random for the team tournaments for the excitement. So now with our the TakeCare tournament that is coming up, it will be an individual tournament where singles, doubles, and mixed doubles categories will be played,” she said.
The format for the TakeCare Badminton Open 2021 will now give players a chance to see where they are at, skill-wise, with the people in their respective class and rank up as well, according to Pangelinan.
“Don’t let the fear of not being good in badminton prevent you from playing the game, everyone has to start somewhere. The most important thing is to have fun,” she added.
NMBA’s TakeCare Badminton Open 2021 will be held on Sept. 17, 18, 24, and 25. For more information, call Pangilinan at 783-2813.
