Team Korea signs with Victor for 4 more years

The Korean National Badminton Team will be sponsored by Victor for another 4 years.

The Victor Rackets Ind. Corp. issued a press release today after the Badminton Korea Association (BKA) signed an agreement with the Taiwan-based company to extend a relationship that began in 2009.  In fact, it was 8 years ago today that the now-retired Lee Yong Dae and Shin Baek Cheol won the German Open in Korea’s first tournament with their new sponsor.

The company press release states: “During the 8-year collaborative run to date, VICTOR has been providing player-driven innovations and state-of-the-art equipment to the Korean Badminton National Team as well as Korea’s National Junior Team, while Korea wrote down illustrious new pages in the history books on the international circuit.”

“VICTOR has offered generous support to grow the sport in Korea and genuine care to our players,” BKA President Park Ki Hyun was quoted in the press release as saying. “We’re extremely thrilled to say that VICTOR will continue to be our best partner in the next years and that we can hopefully achieve higher aims together.”

The BKA announced on February 10th that they would be renewing their contract with Victor but the national team’s first-string players, as well as the coaches and BKA officials gathered yesterday in Seoul’s Olympic Park Hotel for a signing ceremony.

At the event, former world #1 Yoo Yeon Seong was quoted as saying, “It’s vital we get to work with a premium brand in VICTOR and especially that we’re able to keep what’s fitted into our training system already.  I appreciate how VICTOR listens to us and helps us reach our goals with the best products. All I can do in return is to stay around longer to hopefully use my experience to take the game of mine and more importantly of the younger generation’s to the next level.”

Over the past year, various stories in the Korean press have looked at the Korean national badminton team as a special case in terms of the extent of its partnership with its sponsor, which makes it impossible for players to choose alternative brands even for racquets and shoes when competing internationally.  In addition to the national senior and junior teams, Victor sponsors many of Korea’s professional and school teams.  But while in domestic events, many national team players use sportswear and racquets from other sponsors – in line with contracts signed by their school or pro teams – Lee Hyun Il (pictured below) is the only Korean player who uses non-Victor equipment to compete in BWF international ranking events.