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Africa's top badminton star Ekiring for U.S. Open

Xinhua, June 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

Edwin Ekiring, Africa's top player will participate in the 2015 Yonex U.S. Open Championship which takes place June 16-21 in New York.

Simon Mugabi, Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Badminton Association (UBA) told Xinhua on Monday that they have entered Ekiring for the competitive event as the Ugandan star strives to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

Mugabi explained that after the Sri Lanka event, they have entered Ekiring for the Mauritius event and the U.S. Open.

"We think entering Ekiring for all these tournaments will make his chances bright to qualify for his second Olympic Games. The events will also help him prepare better for the 2015 All Africa Games," said Mugabi.

According to the Badminton World Federation and the International Olympic Committee qualification guidelines, only the top ranked African players gain automatic qualification for the Olympics. All the other world players must be ranked in the top 100 to qualify for the Games.

Meanwhile, Mugabi has also revealed that he has been forced to withdraw five players from the Yonex Mauritius International Championship slated for June 11-14 after government said there was no money to support the team.

The UBA was hoping to use the tournament to prepare the team for the 2015 All Africa Games slated for Congo Brazzaville. The players withdrawn from the event include Jacob Kasirye, Bridget Shamim Bangi, Daisy Nakalyango and Aisha Nakiyemba. Endi