OSIM BWF World Super Series Event 2011 Wrap-Up &amp Season Review

General Information:

What exactly is the BWF Super Series?

For those who are not familiar with this competition, the OSIM BWF World Super Series 2011 is a series of 12 badminton tournaments held over 12 unique cities around the globe.

The arrangement to allow 12 different countries to host the OSIM BWF World Super Series tournaments provides an opportunity for badminton fans all over the world to conveniently witness LIVE badminton action by world class players in the host country.

Background Information:

Since the start of 2011, OSIM made an agreement with BWF (the governing authority of the sport) to sponsor these Super Series events for the period of 3 years, hence the name — OSIM BWF World Super Series.

Along with the sponsorship from OSIM is the introduction of the Super Series Premier. It is a higher level tournament which provides higher BWF ranking points. The prize money starts from USD 350,000 for each premier event!

Out of the 12 OSIM BWF Super Series tournaments, 5 were selected to be upgraded to become the Premier. In 2011 this year, the premier events were the Victor Korea Open, Yonex All England Open, Djarum Indonesia Open, Yonex Denmark Open, and the Li Ning China Open.

The first ever Super Series Premier was the Korean Super Series Premier held at Seoul in January 2011. The total prize money was USD 1.2 million! This shocked badminton fans all around the world because it was the largest prize money ever offered. It was good news for the sport as well.

Not Receiving the Attention it Deserves!

Badminton has yet been recognised by local TV stations in certain regions. Due to that, there are badminton fans in certain regions missing out on LIVE badminton action from major badminton tournaments such as the OSIM BWF World Super Series, BWF World Championships and other competitions.

A New Platform for Watching Badminton

The OSIM BWF World Super Series has added a whole new dimension to badminton. It’s newly launched website osimbwfwss.com has cool functions and information on the competitions and players.

Since OSIM’s involvement in badminton in 2011, BadmintonWorld.tv was established. Its operations are hosted on YouTube which features LIVE streaming of badminton events, such as the 12 OSIM BWF World Super Series tournaments.

Badminton fans can now watch LIVE badminton action regardless of where they are from. All they need is a broadband internet service and a computer. BadmintonWorld.tv not only provides live streaming of badminton tournaments, but with YouTube’s social media functions, it also connects badminton fans by allowing them to make comments and have a discussion.

Improving Standards and Quality

The OSIM BWF World Super Series offers a competitive platform for the best badminton players to gain recognition and fame.

These tournaments have brought together the best badminton players to face each other in every single tournament.

Of course, glorious victories come from long hours of training and sweat… lots of it. These players train long gruelling hours, going through injuries and setbacks. It is a truly tough regime, but their long hours of training are not enough.

The badminton action can’t get any better when every player understands their opponents so well – every point is extremely difficult and has to be earned. Players need to give MORE than their best to obtain each rally point.

The Rise of New Stars: Keep an eye on them!

In the 2011 season, we have witnessed the fall of legends and rise of new badminton stars. The OSIM BWF World Super Series events have provided golden opportunities for badminton players to excel in their careers.

The series of tournaments has provided a platform for some players to showcase their talents. We were able to see the first Indian woman, Saina Nehwal, to ever become the World no.2 women’s singles player.

Besides that, Denmark mixed doubles pair Joachim Fischer and Christinna Pedersen came thundering in the finals of the recent Super Series tournaments, even defeating the best Chinese pairs! They defeated BOTH world no.1 and no.2 mixed doubles pair, Zhang Nan/Zhao Yun Lei and Xu Cheng/Ma Jin.

New men doubles pair from Korea, Ko Sung Hyun and Yoo Yeon Seong, has also performed extremely well this year. They did not win the OSIM BWF World Super Series title this year, but stand a high chance in the coming years. Keep an eye on them!

There was also the rise of the young Danish badminton star, Viktor Axelsen (only 17 years old as of 2011). He defeated former Olympic and World Champion, Taufik Hidayat in the Yonex Denmark Open! That was the first encounter between the 2 players.

Fierce Rivalry between the Giants

1. Cai Yun &amp Fu Hai Feng (China) vs Jung Jae Sung &amp Lee Yong Dae (Korea)

Currently ranked world no.1 men’s doubles pair, Cai Yun and Fu Hai Feng was constantly under pressure to overcome their nemesis from Korea, Jung Jae Sung and Lee Yong Dae since their shock defeat in the China Masters 2011.

Every badminton fan expected a clean sweep of titles by the Chinese in the China Masters but the Koreans were the only pair to spoil the Chinese dream.

In both the Yonex Denmark Open and the Yonex French Open, the Chinese were defeated by the Koreans.

However, Jung and Lee’s winning streak was ended by Cai and Fu in Hong Kong during the Hong Kong Open 2011.

Will Jung and Lee win more matches than Cai and Fu in the future? Will they get the no.1 rank?

2. Lee Chong Wei vs Chen Long

Lee Chong Wei’s no.1 nemesis is always the one and only ‘Super Dan’ (Lin Dan).

However in 2 consecutive OSIM BWF World Super Series tournaments (Yonex Japan Open and Yonex Denmark Super Series Premier) this year, Chen Long from China humbled world no.1 Lee Chong Wei in the finals.

This makes Chen Long the only badminton player, except for Lin Dan, to have ever beaten Lee Chong Wei in 2011.

3. Lee Chong Wei vs Lin Dan

In men’s singles, the ongoing rivalry between Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei just gets better and better. Lee Chong Wei has been a very consistent player, reaching the finals of every OSIM BWF World Super Series tournaments this year except for the Hong Kong Super Series and the China Super Series Premier, where he was defeated by Lin Dan in the semi finals.

Prior to 2011, Lee Chong Wei was playing a very passive and defensive game. This year, his playing style changed. He added a new variety of shots, making his badminton shots more difficult to read.

Besides that, he is a more aggressive player. It is extremely amazing to watch the injection of pace from this extremely agile athlete. Lin Dan’s fight against the world no.1 became even tougher. Longer rallies need to be played as both players give everything they have to win a point.

Not Giving Up

Speaking of consistency, Denmark’s Peter Gade (aged 34) kept his eye on reaching the semi finals of every tournament he played.

Despite Gade passing his prime age, we were able to witness Peter’s persistence and determination in achieving his goal throughout 2011. There were many times where he went out of breath especially when his opponent forced him to a rubber, yet he did not give up.

Peter Gade’s fighting spirit reflects his respect towards the sport and his fans.

Winning a Super Series title was never an easy job. Sacrifices have to be made. The values inhibited in each and every OSIM BWF shuttler truly reflect OSIM’s philosophy: ‘Challenging Your Spirit to Do Your Best’. OSIM and BWF badminton players send a message to all spectators around the world to not give up easily (in playing badminton as well as in life) and hard work will eventually be rewarded.

Matches Worth Watching Again

Visit the match wrap-ups of the OSIM BWF World Superseries 2011. Some of these matches are worth watching again! We featured some of the most exciting matches in 2011.