Badminton Magazine (published by Baseball Magazine Sha Co., Ltd.), the only magazine in Japan that specializes in badminton, is looking forward to the Yonex Thomas & Uber Cup Japan 2006. The magazine carries a monthly article entitled “Countdown to the Thomas & Uber Cups” and we would like to feature edited versions of these articles on this official website until the opening of the event scheduled for late April. The first article in the series provides stories about the venues: Sendai City Gymnasium in Miyagi Prefecture, where the group matches and the first-round tournament will be held, and Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, where the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals will be staged. Below, you can read stories about these venues.

November 2005 saw a number of spectators with megaphones colored Japan Red in their hands cheering the players at the opening games of the Badminton Japan League. Below their seating area was a big banner announcing the coming of the Thomas & Uber Cups. Although the group was rooting for their favorite local team, the banner sent a strong message that the people of Sendai were eagerly awaiting the sport’s major event.

No international badminton competitions have ever been held in Sendai, but according to officials of the Sendai Badminton Association, they decided to bid for the Thomas & Uber Cups in the hope of giving the people of the Tohoku region an opportunity to see world-class
players in action.

The City of Sendai’s pro-sports attitude also helped the bid activities. Under the slogan of “Watch, Do, Support,” the City of Sendai promotes sports, as exemplified by support for professional teams that include the Rakuten Eagles (baseball) and the Vegalta Sendai (football), as well as for amateur sports. The city has hosted international basketball and volleyball games and a couple of years ago, the city’s Sports Exchange Section contacted the Sendai Badminton Association about seeking an opportunity to stage an international badminton event. The two organizations came to share the same passion.

“Last year, when games in the Women's Volleyball World Grand Prix were held here,” says Masanori Furuhashi, assistant director responsible for the Sendai matches of the Thomas & Uber Cups, “ten thousand spectators filled Sendai City Gymnasium and the whole seating area was covered with yellow, the symbolic color of the Japanese team. I hope to share such a sense of unity with the badminton fans of the Tohoku region.” “I think not only badminton fans but also the general public will come to Sendai City Gymnasium,” says Yu Hirayama passionately. Hirayama was born in Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture, graduated from St. Ursula High School in Sendai, and is now on Japan’s national team. “I hope to impress them with my courageous play.” Aged 19, Hirayama now attends Waseda University. She was the youngest member of the national team for the Uber Cup held in Indonesia in 2004 and is likely to be on the court for this year’s Uber Cup, too. Given Hirayama’s strong attachment to Miyagi Prefecture, once she is chosen to play in Sendai, she is certain to put on a great performance in front of the local fans. (Japanese Uber Cup Team, announced on March 19, includes Yu Hirayama.)

How will the Thomas & Uber Cups be operated and managed in Sendai? Under the leadership of the Thomas & Uber Cup Steering Committee, which is overseeing the entire event, there is the Sendai Event Executive Committee, which is playing the central role in operating and managing the games to be held in Sendai. This Executive Committee consists of six departments, namely, General Affairs, Game Operations, Judges, Venue, Transportation and Accommodation, and Public Relations, and they are all preparing for the big event. During the event period in Sendai, the total number of person-days expended by event staff is expected to reach 1,240, or around 250 staff members working for the success of the event every day. It is surprising to learn that so many people will be involved just in the first half of the overall event. Indeed, these figures indicate the scale of the Thomas & Uber Cups.

Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, located just across from Sendagaya station on one of the JR lines, is the venue for the quarterfinals, the semifinals, and the finals. Its main arena has enough space for 16 courts, while the seating area has the capacity to accommodate 10,000 spectators. (6,000 fixed seats plus 4,000 temporary seats at a maximum). From the floor to the ceiling measures a relatively high 27 meters.

Although many badminton fans in Japan regard Yoyogi No.2 National Gymnasium as the nation’s Mecca for badminton―it is the venue for major events, including the Yonex Open Japan―with a seating capacity of 3,300, the facility is too small to be the venue of the Thomas & Uber Cups. One of the requirements stipulated by the International Badminton Federation for the venue of the Thomas & Uber Cups is that the facility must be able to accommodate at least 10,000 spectators. Both Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, which was the venue for the Thomas & Uber Cups held in Japan in 1990, and Sendai City Gymnasium meet this condition.

How will conditions on the court be for the players? The most influential elements will be air movement owing to the air conditioning and the lighting. First, regarding air movement, players are more susceptible to air flow in Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium than in some other facilities in Japan. Players feel a breeze, including a tailwind, a headwind, and wind from the side, especially when playing on courts located toward the edge of the main arena.
Last year, the All Japan Championships were held at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium and some players seemed to be bothered by the air movement. Nevertheless, Park Joo Bong, head coach of the national team, said that the influence was nothing compared with facilities outside Japan. “This much of a breeze basically can be ignored compared with the situation at other sites in the world. At the venue of the world championships held in Anaheim, in the US, the wind was actually whistling.”

Japanese players, who usually practice in ideal environments, are said to be weaker under adverse conditions than the top players of other countries. Although this is somewhat worrisome, potential national team members seem to be thinking positively. “We feel the breeze just like we do at Yoyogi No.2 National Gymnasium. During the All Japan Championships, many players lost one game. But I think that it will be alright after practicing here several times to get used to the breeze.” (Shoji Sato) “It won’t be a problem because it’s not as bad as the situation in Anaheim.” (Keita Masuda) “Because there are not many venues in Japan where players feel a breeze, we get somewhat nervous. But for team members who often play outside Japan, having this much air movement should be a common situation.” (Kanako Yonekura)

The next element is lighting. Four rows of lighting fixtures are on the ceiling, two of which, in the middle, are positioned along curved lines. During the All Japan Championships, it seemed that quite a few players felt that “the lighting is causing glare in their eyes.” However, for the Thomas & Uber Cups, the court layout will be different, which will make the lighting reach the courts mainly from the side, to have little influence on the games. “The lighting should be no problem,” said Park Joo Bong, the national head coach.

There will be four courts on May 3, when the quarterfinals will be held after the venue changes from Sendai City Gymnasium to Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. However, for the rest of the days, through May 7, when the finals of the Thomas Cup will be contested, there will be only one court. Temporary seating areas (for SS and S seating) will be set up in the arena. Unreserved seats for adults, junior and senior high school students, and elementary school students are located on the second and third floors. If you choose to sit by the court, you can watch the players’ expressions. For those who cheer the players from the second or third floor, it should be interesting to watch the flight of the shuttlecock. Let’s go to the venues to root for Japan’s players!