FORMER Thai badminton star Boonsak Ponsana will lead a cast of high-quality players at the Piala Ong Ewe Hock redONE 2025 tournament, with Indonesia’s 2016 All-England champion Debby Susanto among the notable participants.
The tournament’s third edition will take place at the USM Sports Complex on March 15 and 16.
Boonsak, 43, will represent the sole Thai entry, Team JELE SBU, in the 16-team competition. A seasoned player, he competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and secured multiple international titles, including the 2004 Thailand Open, 2007 Singapore Open, and 2008 India Open. He also won gold in the men’s singles and mixed team event at the 2007 Summer Universiade and finished as the runner-up to China’s Lin Dan in the 2005 World Cup.
Debby, 35, is renowned for her success in mixed doubles. Her career highlight came in the 2016 All-England, where she clinched the title alongside Praveen Jordan. She also won the mixed doubles events at the 2013 SEA Games (with Muhamad Rijal), 2015 SEA Games (with Praveen Jordan), 2016 India Open (with Praveen Jordan), and 2017 Korea Open (with Praveen Jordan).
Debby will represent Team TREEZ, an Indonesian club managed by badminton legend Taufik Hidayat. The team also boasts the experience of Lioe Tiong Ping, a former international player who won the 1993 Poland Open, 1994 Canada Open, and was a finalist in the 1994 US Open and Swiss Open.
The tournament will feature four categories: Mixed Doubles Open, Men’s Doubles Open, Men’s Doubles (combined age 90), and Men’s Doubles (combined age 110).
The 16 teams will be divided into four groups of four for a round-robin stage, with the top two from each group advancing to the knockout main event, while the bottom two will compete in the plate event.
Up for grabs are cash prizes for the top four teams, with RM20,000 for the champions, RM10,000 for the runners-up, and RM3,000 for the losing semi-finalists. In the plate event, the winners will earn RM2,000, the runners-up RM1,000 and the losing semi-finalists RM500 each.
“We are organising this tournament for the third time to promote sports tourism, as well as showcase Penang’s renowned food and culture. Moving forward, we hope to introduce a junior competition to further develop the sport,” said Ewe Hock, one of Penang’s former greats.
The 16 teams are: Penang – Team Belleview, Team CRC, Team C&Y, Team ProSmash, Team Heritage 930, Team Future, Pacific BC, Team Forever Young; Kuala Lumpur – Ancom SBC, Team XCM, Team MMOA, Team Four Seasons, Mentakab BC: Thailand: Team JELE SBU; Indonesia: Team TREEZ; Singapore: redONE Mobil Warrior.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix courtesy of organisers