Top Candidates Nominated for 2024 Syed Modi International Best Player Awards
Leon To
Sat Dec 21 2024
The prestigious Syed Modi International tournament serves as a platform for badminton players to showcase their talent and skills. As the badminton community eagerly anticipates the recognition of the best players of 2024, top athletes from around the world are vying for the coveted title of the Best Player in their respective categories.
Olympic champions such as Viktor Axelsen, An Se Young, Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan, and Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong headline the list of nominees for the 2024 Best Player Awards presented by the World Badminton Federation. This year marks significant changes in the award criteria, including modifications to the structure and voting process. Five annual awards recognize outstanding male singles, female singles, male doubles, female doubles, and mixed doubles players.
Criteria for these awards emphasize exceptional badminton talent, consistent performance throughout the season, playing style, personality, and overall profile over the qualifying period from December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024. Winners are determined based on their total ranking points earned over a 52-week period and votes cast by a panel of five experts following each World Tour Super 750 and Super 1000 event, in addition to the World Tour Finals and the 2024 Paris Olympics, where points are doubled.
In the men's singles category, Axelsen faces stiff competition from nominees like Shi Yu Qi, Chou Tien Chen, and Anders Antonsen. An Se Young contends for the female player award alongside Wang Zhi Yi, Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, and Han Yue. Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang, silver medalists at the Paris 2024 Olympics, are among the top contenders for the Best Male Doubles Player award alongside champions like Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto and Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.
The nominees for Female Doubles Team of the year include Olympic finalists Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan and Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning, who secured six titles this year, along with Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee and Nami Matsuyama/Chiharu Shida. China showcases its strength in the mixed doubles category, with pairs like Zheng/Huang, Asian champions Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping, and Indonesia Open winners Jiang Zhen Bang/Wei Ya Xin in contention for the top prize.
Apart from the five main categories, two additional awards for Best Male Player and Best Female Player, voted by players, replace the previous Most Improved Player award. Thirty-two top-ranked male and female singles players and sixteen top-ranked doubles pairs are eligible to receive and vote for their peers by October 8, 2024.
The Eddy Choong Most Promising Player award has been renamed as the Rising Star Eddy Choong award, recognizing exceptional young talents aged 21 and under. The World Badminton Federation's Awards Committee aims to acknowledge the brightest emerging talents in the sport.
In the para-badminton category, Paralympic champions Cheah Liek Hou, Daiki Kajiwara, Qu Zimo, and Kumar Nitesh vie for the Best Male Para-Badminton Player award, while Li Feng Mei, Sarina Satomi, Liu Yu Tong, and Leani Ratri Oktila are nominated for the female category. Players like Qu, Liu, Oktila, and Li, who have doubles potential, are also nominated for the Para-Badminton Doubles Team of the year alongside their respective partners Mai Jian Peng, Yin Meng Lu, Hikmat Ramdani, and Lin Naili.
As the badminton world eagerly awaits the unveiling of the winners for the 2024 Syed Modi International Best Player Awards, the nominations reflect the remarkable talent and achievements of players from across the globe. The prestigious awards honor excellence, dedication, and outstanding performance in the sport, setting the stage for a thrilling competition amongst badminton's finest.