Brisbane Legends Open Badminton Tournament, held at Logan’s Sky Badminton Centre this June, will host the best badminton players in the state and country.
In its first year, the tournament attracted 100 players. Four years on, over 400 players are expected to register for the tournament, which will be held on 14 and 15 July 2025.
Players will be divided into specific age and skill divisions to ensure the matches are fair. Brisbane Legends’ President and Head of Strategy, Sambit Das, said Queensland’s best badminton players participate in the tournament.
“These players are top-tier players, and we have a specific category for them to play together,” he said.
Many of these top-tier players are members of the QLD State and Australian National Badminton teams. Mr Das hopes they will go on to compete in the upcoming Brisbane Olympic Games, which will be held in 2032.
“I’m 100% sure that in 2032, some of the players who are competing in this tournament will compete in the Olympics.
“How many and who? That is very difficult to predict, because it’s a very competitive game, and 2032 is a long way to go.”
Brisbane Legends was established eight years ago and runs clubs and tournaments for cricket and badminton players.
Although badminton accounts for 80 percent of the organisation’s operations and tournaments, Mr Das said.
The organisation began with just 10 members who aspired to build an inclusive, affordable, and competitive badminton community that could continue to grow.
Today, Brisbane Legends has around 350 players across Logan and Brisbane. Their main venue is the Sky Badminton Centre in Central Logan.
“Sports is something that can’t be confined to a specific group of people or a specific community,” Mr Das said
“From day one, we were open to everybody.”
To Mr Das and Brisbane Legends, an ‘open tournament’ means that all communities in Queensland are welcome, “because what happens is nowadays a lot of tournaments are community specific.”
“We don’t believe in that,” he said.
The Brisbane Legends Open Badminton tournament is the organisation’s largest tournament, by far.
The tournament has become so big that they’ve had to cut back on participant numbers without compromising the organisation’s values.
A separate open tournament for kids will be held on 7 September 2025 in Logan, so there will be enough resources for all participants across both tournaments.
“We don’t want the tournament to be so big that it is difficult to manage and the infrastructure is not available.”
“We try to do what we can to manage the tournaments beautifully and without any issues.”
Earlier this year, in May, a women’s open badminton tournament was held to encourage women to play badminton. The tournament was a success, with about 110 women competing.
Mr Das himself has played badminton for the past 20 years. He said it is a great tool and has improved his physical and mental fitness substantially.
“If you play badminton two or three times a week, you reduce your likelihood of having a heart attack by 40 percent.
“It is the best form of exercise.”
A study published in 2016 by the British Journal of Medicine found that people who regularly played racket sports, like tennis or badminton, decreased their risk of death by 47 percent.
According to the British Heart Foundation, regularly playing badminton strengthens heart muscles and limits the risk of blood vessels clogging, which can significantly reduce the chance of having a heart attack.
Mr Das would encourage badminton players of any age to participate in the tournament. “We are also encouraging people who are aged 40 and 50 plus to participate and play in our masters and grand master categories.”
