So far a Grand Prix event, the tournament staved off a challenge from Swiss Open to bag the honour, riding on the support it got from non-European countries in the World Badminton Federation’s (WBF) Executive Council meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
“We won the vote against the Swiss Open 10-7 with all non-European nations supporting our bid,” Badminton India president VK Verma said in a statement.Its elevation means the Indian Open will be a $500,000 event featuring the world’s top 32 players in men’s and women’s singles and doubles competitions.The capital’s state-of-the-art Siri Fort stadium will host the event immediately after the All-England Championship each year, with Hyderabad and Mumbai named stand-by venues.
Published 22 May 2010, 16:10 IST