International Youth Tournament at St Martin's
Irish teams taking part
International badminton will once again be taking centre stage on the local sports scene with the sixth Malta International Youth Tournament.
This event is being held at St Martin's College over the coming weekend and is intended for players under 18 years of age.
In addition to the junior squad of the local Birkirkara club, the event will also see the participation of Wexford BC, from Ireland, and that of Whiteabbey BC, from Northern Ireland.
The Maltese squad, led by coach Martin Farrugia, is made up of the following players: Maria Borg, Maria Mizzi, Fiorella Farrugia (captain), Samuel Cali, Andre Grech and Avner Vella.
The tournament will be run in strict accordance with the rules of the International Badminton Federation.
The event for teams will take place on Saturday.
The three teams will play each other on a league basis over a single round in order to determine the tournament winner.
The competition for singles is scheduled for Sunday.
All players will take part in separate men's and ladies' competitions to be played on a knockout basis. They will be joined by some players from the Turkish Cypriot Badminton Federation who will be travelling to Malta purposely to compete in the tournament.
The weekend will come to its competitive end in the early afternoon of Sunday, with the presentation ceremony.
A Badminton Association statement said that the regular organisation of such tournaments was in line with their commitment to give international exposure to promising players, thereby enhancing their experience. .
While inviting the local sporting public to attend and give support, the association also thanked Janatha Stubbs, Emirates Airlines and St Martin's College for their valuable assistance.