Sarawat Superstores Jeddah will be organizing a badminton tournament in cooperation with Jeddah Jaguars Badminton Club at Olympia Sports Center along Palestine Street here. The championship dubbed as Hatawan ‘08 – Tagisang Lakas at Liksi will begin on Dec. 5. According to Kenneth Richard Antony, Store Manager, Sarawat Superstores Jeddah, this tournament is Sarawat's way of expressing gratitude to its customers, especially Asians whose love for sports is manifested by their strong presence and participation in tournaments. This racket sport is very popular among Filipinos, Indonesians, Malaysians, Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis and some Europeans. It is also gaining popularity among Saudis. Sarawat Superstores has tapped the services of Jeddah Jaguars Badminton Club (JJBC) to organize this event as it has handled similar tournaments in 2007 and early this year. The opening ceremonies will be highlighted by the expected presence of Philippine Embassy and Consulate officials and special guests from the sole sponsor, Sarawat Superstores. Usual opening day awards will be given to the Club in Best Uniform, while surprise gifts await lucky raffle winners. The finals and awarding ceremonies will be on Dec. 19. Among the badminton clubs expected to participate in this two-week long tournament are Alesayi Badminton Club, Baddicts, Battledores, Beaufort, Brantas, Buddiesminton, Desert Falcons, Desert Falcons, D'Smaikers, Hataw, International Medical Center (IMC), Jeddah Slashers, KAIA, Pinoy Badminton Barkada, Ranao Badminton Club, Sandstorm, SEDCO, Siemens, Smash Arabia, Techno, Twisters and Zwoosh. JJBC Chairman Cesar Pagtalunan expressed his thanks to Antony for the trust placed in JJBC. He also stated that the tournament is one way of keeping close ties among the members of the Filipino community in Jeddah and a way of interacting with other expat communities as well. Assisting Pagtalunan, who will be the Tournament Director, are Rupert Ng and Bong Suing, JJBC Technical Head and Assistant, respectively, and all other members of JJBC. __
