Source:REUTERS/Ann Wang
[Saba Sports News] The draw ceremony for the mixed team event of the 2024 Yonex World Junior Badminton Championships was held at the Tengwang Pavilion in Nanchang, Jiangxi. This is the second time the World Junior Championships have been held in China since 2000 in Guangzhou. Teams from 40 countries and regions will compete from September 30 to October 13 at the Nanchang International Sports Center. During the draw ceremony, the organizers also unveiled the event mascot and slogan. The mascot for this event is named “Little Ying,” inspired by a dandelion, combining features of the World Junior Championships and elements of Nanchang, designed in a modern cartoon style. It symbolizes young players from around the world who chase their badminton dreams and gather in Nanchang, determined to strive for excellence. The organizers finalized the official promotional slogan “Badminton Moves the World, Stars Shine in Nanchang,” based on concepts that align with badminton’s characteristics, reflect international standards of world-class events, highlight athletes’ age characteristics, and showcase Nanchang’s city features. This year’s championships will adopt a new team competition format consisting of 10 matches: two each for men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles, with total scores accumulated through player rotations across these matches to determine the winning team. If this format matures and meets market demands, it may be applied to adult competitions in the future.