Less than three months remain for the TOTAL BWF Sudirman Cup 2019 to be staged in Nanning, China.

With 88 days to go, a countdown event was held in Nanning today to mark the occasion and was attended by representatives of BWF, Chinese Badminton Association, Guangxi Sports Bureau, and Nanning Municipal People’s Government.

The World Mixed Team Championships for the Sudirman Cup is in its 30^th year and will be held from 19 to 26 May. This is the first time that Nanning is hosting a major badminton tournament.

BWF Events Director Darren Parks commended the hosts for their preparation and thanked the various institutions involved in the effort.

“A big thank you to our hosts, the Chinese Badminton Association, the Administration of Sport of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and the Nanning Municipal People’s Government… A lot of hard work has gone into readying the city for this great event, and we’d like to thank all parties involved for their dedication and commitment,” said Parks.

“Nanning is a fitting location for what will be another memorable edition of the TOTAL BWF Sudirman Cup, and we’re extremely excited to welcome our sport’s elite players to this great city in what will be eight days of premier badminton action.”

Parks also thanked BWF’s major event sponsor TOTAL for supporting the event. The BWF-TOTAL partnership is into its fifth year.

Xie Xuanze, Vice-President of Chinese Badminton Association; Xie Qiang, Deputy Director of Guangxi Sports Bureau, and He Ying, Vice-Mayor, Nanning Municipal People’s Government, were among the prominent dignitaries who attended the countdown event, which featured a cultural performance signifying Nanning’s welcome to all the visiting teams.

Thirty-two Member Associations have confirmed their entries – 15 from Asia, 12 from Europe, two each from Pan Am and Oceania, and one from Africa.

Hosts China will be aiming to recapture the title after losing the 2017 final to Korea in a thrilling tie. Korea, who surprised everybody with their victory in Gold Coast, will be hoping for their fourth victory overall, while Indonesia, who won the inaugural edition, seek to become champions after a long wait of three decades.

Among other leading contenders are Japan, Denmark, India and Chinese Taipei.