RI in China group for Sudirman Cup

RI in China group for Sudirman Cup

BEIJING: China and South Korea will head the two top groups at the 2005 Sudirman Cup mixed-team world badminton championships to be held in Beijing from May 5-10 after the draw was made on Monday.

Defending champion South Korea finds itself at the head of Group A alongside Denmark, England and Thailand, while host China is in Group B with badminton powerhouse Indonesia, Hong Kong and Sweden.

"China has a good draw because it has avoided Denmark in the round robin group play," said Richard Avery, an organizer of the event.

"The way Denmark has been playing lately, they are probably better than Indonesia, so this is good for China."

More than 40 nations will participate in this year's cup, but only the top eight world ranked teams are eligible to vie for the title.

The two top teams in the tournament from the second tier will advance to the top tier in the 2007 edition. --AFP