Sport

Badminton get the year off to a flying start

ICU Badminton are setting out their big plans for the year ahead

Imperial College Union (ICU) Badminton had an amazing turnout at Fresher’s Fair this year, with over 500 individuals expressing interest in the society. You may have seen our giant badminton racket and banner out on the Queen’s Lawn – thank you to our new partners YONEX UK for these!

We will be working with them, alongside Singaporean food & beverage company Yeo’s and other yet to be confirmed parties, in hosting the Imperial College Badminton Tournament along with ICSM Badminton and Queen Mary University on November 4th at Kensington Leisure Centre. Sign up or come along to support your friends for a fun day of badminton and socializing!

In addition to the tournament and other special events throughout the year, our partnership with YONEX will give our members access to special offers and unique experiences in terms of badminton equipment, interaction with professional players, and attending the YONEX All-England Open in Birmingham.

“We’re going to be hosting the Imperial College Badminton Tournament next month!”

Following the start of term, we’ve held multiple taster sessions at Ethos, welcoming individuals with a wide range of playing experience and giving those who have never played before an opportunity to just come along and have a few hits.

We’ve been blown away by the enthusiasm, having had 60 students show up on the Sunday before term started, and are excited to see what this year will bring for the society.

The new committee will be endeavouring to build upon the foundations of the old to create a welcoming and social environment where we can all come together to enjoy the sport we love. Similar to last, this year we will have two men’s teams, one women’s and one mixed entered into the BUCS and LUSL leagues. The men’s 1st team will be looking to improve even further upon their impressive third place finish in last year’s BUCS Premier League, and the 2nd team will be pushing for promotion into the First Division, while the women’s team will want to reclaim their place in the Premier League.

From the talent on show at this year’s trials, captains Shivam Bhatnagar, Noah Semonin, Gemma McGuire and Joseph Kim are confident of a successful season ahead.

“This year we will have two men’s teams, one women’s team, and one mixed entered into the BUCS and LUSL leagues”

Continuing from last year’s great work, ICU Badminton will be furthering our social team project for any members in the club looking for a competitive playing experience in addition to our club sessions.

Starting this term, social training sessions will be available on Friday evenings for interested members. These will be led at Ethos by some of our team members, namely Edward Liu. Our social captains Eugenius Ng and Carolina Azeredo welcome individuals from a wide skill bracket, offering the opportunity to attend a competition to all members of the society to if they wish to do so!

If you would like to enquire more about Imperial Badminton Society, our club sessions or our upcoming tournament, please do not hesitate and get in touch with us at badminton@ic.ac.uk or alternatively, find us on our new website www.imperialbadminton.com!