Thailand is ready to host the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup finals in Bangkok later this month, officials said Tuesday.
The May 20-27 tournament at Muang Thong Thani's Impact Arena is expected to welcome a large number of top players including China's Lin Dan and Chen Long, Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei, Taiwan's Tai Tzu-ying, and Japan's Kento Momota and Akane Yamaguchi, Badminton Association of Thailand president Patama Leeswadtrakul told a press conference.
It will be the first time that Thailand stages the prestigious tournament.
"We are ready to welcome players of 32 teams from 17 countries,'' Patama said.
She said she wanted to make this the best ever edition of the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup.
"The state-of-art stadium is equipped with LED screens for the spectators to enjoy the match," Patama said.
She expected that the star-studded tournament would attract capacity crowds.
The Thomas Cup features the likes of China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Denmark, Japan and India.
Participants in the Uber Cup include China, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and India.
With four four-team groups in both events, the top-two teams from each group qualify for the knockout stages.
Thailand's teams will begin their campaigns on May 20 with the women facing Germany in the Uber Cup and the men taking on South Korea in the Thomas Cup.
The Thai men are ranked outsiders as they are in the same group as South Korea and Indonesia.
The Thai women, led by former world No.1 Ratchanok Intanon, have a high chance of reaching the next round as they will face Taiwan, led by top-ranked Tai, Germany and Hong Kong.
Ratchanok, the 2013 world champion, said she was in good shape and well-prepared for the tournament.
"We aim to finish as winners of our group but we can't underestimate any opponents,'' she said.
"Our target is a top-four finish."
She said she was excited that she would face Taiwan in Thailand for the first time.
Thailand's best results were second place in the Thomas Cup (1961) and third in the Uber Cup (2012).
In a recent interview, Badminton World Federation president Poul-Erik Hoyer said that he was expecting to witness a strong competition.
"We look forward to an intriguing Thomas and Uber Cup competition. There are several strong challengers in both events and I will not be surprised to see some surprises along the way," he said. "As a fan, I can hardly wait for the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup finals to begin."
