The long road to Paris 2024
The greatest glory and prestige an athlete can achieve is to become an Olympic champion. It doesn’t matter what discipline we are talking about in the catalogue of the 40 Olympic sports that currently exist, both in summer and winter. Even many athletes of events that are not yet on this list dream that one day their sport could be part of this exclusive group.
The Olympics are a very Special event. Its values are excellence, friendship and respect. Qualifying for the Olympics is an achievement that not many people can show off.
This year more than 10,000 athletes will gather in the French capital for the 33rd Games of the modern era. A global pilgrimage that will make Paris the centre of the world’s attention from 24 July to 11 August. During those days, 329 events will be held over 762 sessions.
The badminton tournament will take place at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena from 27 July to 5 August. The facility has been designed to be environmentally friendly and will leave a legacy of a new cultural centre in the north of the city. Eighty per cent of the building’s surface will be covered with vegetation, which will blend harmoniously with the parks and gardens surrounding the venue. The front will be clad with recyclable aluminium and most of its construction materials will be of ecological origin (mainly wood). The stadium will have a capacity of 8,000 spectators and will host the rhythmic gymnastics competition as well as the badminton tournament.
But how can a badminton player become an Olympian?
To answer this question, we must refer to the Qualification System document. It states that 16 doubles pairs in each event and 38 singles athletes per gender will compete. In addition, it is established that the maximum number of athletes per National Olympic Committee is 8 in the 5 events.
The race for a place in this privilege club started on 1 May 2023 and will end on 28 April 2024 with the publication of the “Ranking Lists to Paris”. In order to gain access to this list, the most ambitious badminton athletes started to position themselves thanks to the tournaments that count towards the world ranking. And it is not only the individual events that add up, but also the continental team championships such as the Thomas and Uber Cup and the Sudirman Cup.
As for the Spanish athletes, Carolina Marín is currently the best placed to go to her third Games and revalidate the gold she won in Rio 2016. Pablo Abián and Kike Peñalver are also in the running, which for Abián would mean his fifth Olympics. For Pablo, it could be his fifth Olimpics, something remarcable in an exigent sport as badminton is.
In this exceptional setting, the Spain Masters is the last qualifying event for this ranking. This means that it is possible that for some of the participants this will be their last chance to enter the Olympic qualification. Can you imagine how they will feel? The maximum level of concentration, the physical and mental battle they will have to face… All that emotion within reach of the Spanish public that will come to the Centro Deportivo Gallur.
Remember that the whole tournament will be available on the usual digital platforms of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and those of the Spanish Badminton Federation. However, if you want to see your idols live, access to the facility will be free during the sessions from 26 to 29 March. The sale of tickets to enjoy the semi-finals and finals live is just a click away here.
