Badminton: Lee Cheuk-yiu hoping for repeat of Hong Kong Open glory as tournament finally returns
- Men’s singles star looking to defend title he won in 2019 and boost his chances of qualifying for Paris Olympics
- The Super 500 tournament will be back at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom in September after a four-year hiatus
Defending champion Lee Cheuk-yiu is hopeful of repeating his success in September’s badminton Hong Kong Open so he can boost his Olympic ranking – and qualify for next year’s Paris Games.
The Badminton World Federation’s Super 500 tournament is making a return to the city after four years away because of the anti-government protests in 2019 and the coronavirus pandemic.
The 26-year-old became the second men’s singles player to capture the home title when he beat Anthony Ginting of Indonesia in the final, after compatriot Ng Ka-long won the 2016 edition.
“It has been almost four years after the victory at Hong Kong Coliseum but the memories were still vivid,” Lee said. “Of course I am so happy we can finally return to our home venue to play again in front of a crowd.
“This year, the Hong Kong tournament is also part of the Olympic qualifiers and I would love to win it again to boost my ranking to make it to the 2024 Paris Games.”
Lee is ranked 16th in the world, just one place ahead of Ng, who was the sole men’s singles for Hong Kong at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
