KUALA LUMPUR: World champion status has booked mixed doubles pair, Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei, an automatic slot for the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, at the end of the year.
The season-ending tournament, scheduled from Dec 17 to 21, will feature the world’s top eight pairs and offer lucrative prize money, with the champions taking home US$210,000 (RM888,323).
Tang Jie-Ee Wei can now breathe easy and not worry about chasing qualification points, thanks to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) ruling that grants world champions automatic entry.
The winners of each category at the World Championships are assured of a place in the World Tour Finals, regardless of their standing in the “Race to Finals” rankings.
Although Tang Jie-Ee Wei are already third in the qualification list with 59,610 points, this early assurance allows them to plan better for the season finale.
Even if they were to fall outside the top eight, their spot would still be guaranteed as world champions, replacing the lowest-ranked qualifiers.
This marks the second consecutive year Tang Jie-Ee Wei have qualified for the World Tour Finals.
Last year, they produced an impressive run to the final before losing to China‘s top pair, Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong, who later announced their retirement after the tournament.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
