Havana to Host 22nd Giraldilla International Badminton Tournament with Athletes from 13 Nations

Havana will once again host the Giraldilla International Badminton Tournament starting this Thursday, which reaches its 22nd edition with the presence of athletes from 13 nations.

The event, which will take place from March 14 to 17, will award points for Olympic classification and will bring together competitors from countries such as Canada, Guatemala, Peru, Jamaica, Brazil and India.

The Giraldilla will give 1700 units to the champions of each modality in competition. These will be the individual and double matches in both genders, as well as the mixed double, refers the digital site Jit.

As part of the program, the elimination rounds will be Thursday and Friday, as will the quarterfinals, while the semifinals will take place on Saturday and the medals will be discussed on Sunday.

Cuba will be represented by 27 badminton players, led by Taymara Oropesa, bronze medalist at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, the sports publication points out.

Thirteen countries will cheer on Giraldilla #badminton
Cuba will be represented by 27 players, led by Taymara Oropesa. #Cuba https://t.co/y1fFYMteGV pic.twitter.com/QtpcgVj2Ha

— JIT Cuban Sport (@jit_digital) March 13, 2024

Oropesa, also runner-up in the San Salvador 2023 Central American Championships after being away from the Cuban team for three years, appears as second in the competition ranking and will seek to win the individual event in search of Olympic qualification.

Other athletes from the island will be Leonor Alvisa, Gretell Reynaldo, Robert Carlos Herrera and Juan Carlos Bencomo.

According to JitAmong the foreign players, Nikte Alejandra Sotomayor, from Guatemala, first seeded in the main draw, stands out, as well as the Jamaican Tahlia Richardson.

Among the men, for their part, the Guatemalan Yeison Esleiter del Cid and the Jamaican Samuel O’Brien should be among the protagonists, in the opinion of the specialized media.