Canada Open badminton concludes
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Zhu Lin of China and Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia won the women's and men's single titles respectively Sunday in 2010 Canada Open badminton tournament, the first ever grand prix for the sport in Canada.
The tournament took place from July 13th-18th at the Richmond Olympic Oval, one of the competition venue of the Vancouver Winter Olympics Games earlier this spring. It attracted 250 elite players from about 30 countries and regions including China, Indonesia, Japan, France, Denmark and Chinese Taipei.
Chinese former world champion Zhu lin captured women's single title while Indonesia former Olympic Gold Medalist Taufik Hidayat claimed the men's. Pairs from Chinese Taipei secured victory in all three doubles events. They are Chien Yu Chin and Lee Sheng Mu (mixed doubles), Lee Sheng Mu and Fang Chieh Min (men's doubles) and Cheng Wen Hsing and Chien Yu Chin (women's doubles).
Starting in 1957, Canada Open has been upgraded to the Grand Prix level this year for the first time with a tournament prize money of 50,000 US dollars. It's one of the International Badminton Federation Grand Prix events.
"It's a breakthrough," said Bobby Milroy, organizer of the 2010 Canada Open, adding that the event was the biggest badminton tournament in the history of Canada.
Milroy said that it showed the badminton is "a sport of tomorrow, a sport for the future, but the very near future" in Canada. He hopes to continue to keep the Grand Prix tournament going for many years in the future.
