ONE NIGHT WITH STARS – Top stars join 1st “Badminton concert”

The Badminton Club of Geneva will host the world’s first “Badminton Concert” with top badminton stars and musicians on March 14^th with all benefits going to the charity foundation Solibad – Badminton without Borders.

What do Peter Gade, Nathan Robertson, Lee Yong Dae, Hans Kristian Vitthingus, Pi Hongyan, Mathias Boe, Jeanine Cicognini, Agnese Allegrini, and Simon Santoso have in common beyond being world’s top stars in the badminton world?

They are all going to have a good time on March 14^th, the night before the Swiss Open.  And so too are the spectators at the Velodrome de la Queue d’Avre, in Geneva, who will enjoy an incredible evening of fun, music, exhibition, humour and surprises.

The idea behind this evening is to gather the top players in the world – some Olympic champions, world champions and actual world number ones – together with local singers to enjoy a unique evening of songs and fun around a badminton court.

There will be no title and no prize money for the players, who will all be coming on a volunteer basis to bring their talent to help Solibad raise money for a good cause.

“Our target for this crazy project is to gather some friends of Solibad and enjoy ourselves while giving a great show for the spectators, who will see something they’ve never seen before,” said Bajoe Wibowo, President of the Badminton Club Geneva, host of this evening in the Velodrome de la Queue D’Avre.

Fun, Music, Badminton,…Badminton music?

The program of the evening will be intense, with no less than 3 hours of show, between music and badminton.  Two singers who have volunteered to come and sing for the occasion – Jérémie Kissling and Alenko – will be giving the audience a glimpse of their latest albums while the top players will face each other in unexpected and fun combinations.

Amongst the special guests of the evening will be the legendary Mr Park Joo Bong (photo), who will honour Solibad with his presence and will play an “out of this world” duo with the young jewel Lee Yong Dae.

Fun will be the main word for the shuttlers who have taken the time to come between the Yonex All England Badminton Championships and the Wilson Swiss Open, which kicks off the following morning in Basel.  They will provide the spectators with some small exhibition matches, face each other in unusual combinations and share their very secret tricks with the public. They will also take the time to meet the audience and participate in games and autograph or photo sessions to collect money for the foundation they all support.

“This will be an incredible evening and I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Pi Hongyan (photo), Global Ambassador for the foundation and bronze medallist in the 2009 World Championships.

“When I heard of this event taking place, I was glad I was invited and will sure give the fans my best to show them how fun badminton can be,” added Nathan Robertson, former World Champion, Olympic silver medallist, and currently sitting in the upper echelon of the mixed doubles with his partner Jenny Wallwork.

Amongst the surprises of this evening, POL, a local artist musician, will create the world’s first melody out of the sounds made from the players themselves, giving birth to a Badminton Soundsystem (Made in Antigel) : the footwork and noises made from the shuttles hit by the rackets will be recorded and turned into  music instantly.

Supported by the UN, and Olympic movement

Ambassadors of participating countries in Switzerland, as well as high ranked officials from the United Nations, the International Olympic Committee, and the Association of Olympic Summer Sports Federations, have been invited to watch this showcase, which could become a way for them to discover the sport at its best.  These international organizations have already shown their support for the event through letters sent to the organizing committee, encouraging the event and wishing it great success.

Soon to be shown on Total Sports TV

Those who cannot make it to Geneva on March 14^th will be able to see the show in a 90-minute program streamed by Total Sports Asia, rights holders of the BWF Super Series, who have agreed to be Solibad’s partners for this exceptional event.

The program will be shown exclusively on Total sports.tv  from March ^22nd at the cost of 4,79 US$ with all benefits going to Solibad, Badminton Without Borders – This is your chance to also make a contribution to the foundation while enjoying a unique show online. You can pre book HERE

All the money raised from this event and the streaming of the program on Totalsports.tv will be sent directly to the sites of the projects monitored by Solibad, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Indonesia, Haiti and two new projects in Brazil and Vietnam for 2011.

ONE NIGHT WITH STARS

The official FACEBOOK PAGE OF THE EVENT HERE

Venue: Velodrome de la Queue D’Avre, Geneva, Switzerland
Date: Monday, March 14^th 2011 at 8PM
Tickets: 20 CHF (Swiss Francs) or 17 euros

How to purchase tickets?

For Swiss citizens HERE
For French citizens HERE

Tickets may also be purchased at the gate of the event on March 14^th.

Online video available on-demand from Totalsports.Tv from March 22nd HERE
US$4.79 for the whole show.