ORLANDO, Fla. – You may not realize it, but badminton is the second most played sport in the world and this week, some Olympic-quality players will be right in Orlando.
ClearOne Badminton Centre is hosting the YONEX USA tournament. Eleven countries are represented. Canadian National Team member Derrick Ng is the top rated player at the event.
"It's something we've been training so hard for, so to perform and do well at this would be money well spent," Ng said.
Ng says he hopes newcomers to the sport will come check out the action, and realize competitive badminton is a lot different than the backyard version. In fact, these professional players hit the shuttlecock at speeds up to 300 miles per hour.
"This is a challenging sport and people do take it very seriously," Ng said.
The tournament runs through Sunday and tickets start at $10.
"The most watched event in the last Olympics was the 100 meter dash with Usain Bolt. The second most watched was the men's single finals in badminton," Wilson said.
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