Major Step Forward
07 June, 2018Pro-Kennex, the worldwide sports racket manufacturer, announced that it will sponsor the first international Badminton Grand Prix which will start in 1983.
Announcing the plans for the 1983 Circuit at the John Player All England Championships, Craig Reedie, President of the International Badminton Federation said, "It has long been our intention to tie together the major open tournaments into a recognisable series, and I see the World Grand Prix as a major development in the game. I welcome Pro-Kennex's involvement and support into such a major Badminton sponsorship as an indication of their confidence in the current stability and future development of Badminton internationally".
The Circuit.to be called the Pro-Kennex Grand Prix will link together various tournaments throughout the world including the John Player All England Championships and the World Championships to be held in Denmark. by a points system to be used at each event. In 1983, the Pro-Kennex Grand Prix will encompass men and women singles players only, with the top twelve men and eight women in the points standing qualifying for the Pro-Kennex Championships in December at the culmination of the Circuit. Total prize money for the Championship event will be $70,000 (approx £40,000). In addition, the Pro-Kennex Grand Prix will offer bonus pool money to be divided among the top 25 men and top 20 women finishers.
Robert Drake, General Manager of Pro-Kennex, said, "We at Pro-Kennex are delighted to be sponsoring the first ever Badminton World Grand Prix. This development in the game can only add considerable meaning to the sport for the players, the media and the public".
The formation of the Pro-Kennex Grand Prix was the result of an agreement between the International Badminton Federation and International ManagementGroup.
Thomas Kihlstrom, player representative on the Open Badminton Committee, said. "The formation of the Pro-Kennex Grand Prix is a major step forward for all players in the game today. We welcome their committment and assure them of our full support".
Rules for the Pro-Kennex Grand Prix Championships
All Pro-Kennex Grand Prix tournaments are linked by a points system. Points are awarded dependant upon the prize money offered at each particular event.
Tournament classification shall be based as follows:-
Category 1 - John Player All England Championships, World Championships
Category 2 - Total Prize Money minimum US$20,000 (£11,200)
Category 3 - Total Prize Money minimum US$15,000 (£8,400)
Category 4 - Total Prize Money minimum US$10,000 (£5,700)
In 1983, both the John Player All England Championships and the World Championships shall be included in the Grand Prix. Open Championships from the following countries shall also be invited to join the Pro-Kennex as qualifying tournaments:-
Japan, Sweden, Indonesia, Canada, Holland, India, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
At the end of the year, the top twelve and top eight women will qualify for the Pro-Kennex Grand Prix Championships. This US$70,000 (approx £40,000) all star event will be played in December 1983 at a venue to be announced at a later date.
In order to be eligible for the Pro-Kennex Grand Prix Championships, a player must have competed in at least three of the 1983 Pro-Kennex tournaments.
PRIZE MONEY FOR THE PRO-KENNEX GRAND PRIX CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEN
Round-Robin format with four groups of three players
Winner US$10,000
Runner Up 7,000
Third Place 5,250
Fourth Place 4,750
Second in group 3,000 x 4
Third in group 2,000 x 4
Total US$47,000 (£26,000)
WOMEN
Round-Robin format with two groups of four players
Winner US$6,000 (£3,300)
Runner-up 4,000
Third Place 3,250
Fourth Place 2,750
Third in group 2,000 x 2
Fourth in group 1,500 x 2
Total US$23.000 (£12,800)
Bonus Pool Distribution - Pro-Kennex Grand Prix
MEN WOMEN
Ninth Place - US$1,300
Tenth Place - 1,100
Eleventh Place - 1,000
Twelfth Place - 900
Thirteenth Place US$1,750 800
Fourteenth Place 1,500 700
Fifteenth Place 1,250 600
Sixteenth Place 1,000 500
Seventeenth Place 900 400
Eighteenth Place 800 300
Nineteenth Place 700 200
Twentieth Place 600 100
Twenty-First Place 500 -
Twenty-Second Place 400 -
Twenty-Third Place 300 -
Twenty-Fourth Place 200 -
Twenty-Fifth Place 100 -
US$10,000 US$7,900
(£5,570) (£4,400)
Points Allocation for Grand Prix Tournaments
Category
1 2 3 4
Winner 250 175 150 125
Runner-up 200 140 120 95
Losing Semi-Final 160 110 90 70
Losing Quarter-Final 120 80 60 40
Losers/Round of 16 80 50 35 20
Losers/Round of 32 40 25 20 10
Losers/Round of 64 15 10 5
The above points will count towards entry into the Pro-Kennex Grand Prix Championships and the Bonus Pool.
-- World Badminton, June 1982