Japan names Sudirman team

The Nippon Badminton Association has named its team for the upcoming Sudirman Cup competition.  The 16-member team includes exactly two players or pairs for each discipline, except for 19-year-old Yuta Watanabe, who is on hand with both his regular men’s doubles partner Hiroyuki Endo and mixed partner Arisa Higashino.  21-year-old doubles specialist Takuro Hoki rounds out the 8 male players, though his partner Yugo Kobayashi is not on the team.

In men’s doubles and women’s doubles and singles, Japanese team members have won Superseries titles in the past year.  Of course, none of the men’s singles players who figured in Japan’s 2014 Thomas Cup victory will be participating in Gold Coast but Japan still has to be considered among the front runners for the 2017 title at this mixed team badminton world championship.

Photo: Badmintonphoto (from the 2015 Sudirman Cup podium)