On Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 February ’23, the Castaar International was on the badminton calendar. However, the club board is forced to stop the organization of the tournament.
Decreasing enthusiasm
The Halse international tournament was the successor of the many national editions organized by BTH ’86 since the mid-2000s. In the heyday, more than 400 players found their way to Halle every year to give the best of themselves during two full tournament days.
“For several years now, however, there has been much less enthusiasm for tournaments in badminton Belgium and we see registrations decreasing everywhere. Many tournaments give up because it is no longer profitable for the clubs to organize them.” says tournament director Arno De Witte.
According to the club, much is due to a change in behavior among the players. Badminton is still on the rise, but players no longer want to spend a full weekend in a sports hall.
Investing in youth
BTH ’86 has an active youth organization and also sees the enthusiasm present among its players when it comes to tournament participation. That is why the club board has decided to replace the adult tournament with the organization of a youth tournament.
Tournament sponsor Castaar has given its commitment to continue the current sponsor contract and to continue to support the club.
