Badminton stars like Saina Nehwal enjoy the vibrant Vivid Sydney Festival

Before the Xiamen Airlines Australia Open Badminton Championships, badminton stars such as Saina Nehwal, Hsu Chia-Wen, Goh Liu Ying, Lau Pei Jing, and Chen Qing Chen had a great time at the Vivid Sydney event

Sydney, June 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

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Lai Pei Jing, Goh Jin Wei, Chen Qingchen_Aus Badminton Open Vivid Sydney Harbour Cruise 2016_Destination NSW

Saina Nehwal_Australian Badminton Open Vivid Sydney Harbour Cruise 2016_CREDITDestination NSW_005

The badminton stars have now arrived in Sydney to compete in one of the world’s most prestigious badminton tournamentsXiamen Airlines Australia Open Badminton Championships(XIAMENAIR Australian Badminton Open). From June 7 to 12, 2016, the tournament will be held at Sydney Olympic Park.

A number of internationally renowned badminton stars, includingSainaNehwal (India), currently world No. 1Chen Long (China), and currently world No. 2RatchanokIntanon (Thailand), will compete in Sydney. The star-studded line-up of the Xiamen Airlines Australia Open also includes the current world No. 1 women’s doubles pairMisaki Matsutomo/ Ayaka Takahashi (Japan) , as well as the current men’s doubles world champions, as well as the current men's doubles world championsHendra Setiawan / Mohammad Ahsan (Indonesia)- Hendra Setiawan / Mohammad Ahsan (Indonesia).

During the Australia Open, some top players enjoyed the world’s largest light, music, and ideas festival — Vivid Sydney. At the annual Vivid Sydney Festival, over 90 light art projection installations illuminate the city, transforming iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge (Sydney Harbour Bridge), Sydney Opera House, and the entire city into a colorful artistic wonderland. Players such as Goh Liu Ying (Malaysia), Wu Jhin Wei (Malaysia), Chen Qing Chen (China), Lau Pei Jing (Malaysia), Vivian Kah Mun Hoo (Malaysia), Saina Nehwal (India), and Yip Pui Yin (Hong Kong, China) cruised the Sydney Harbour to take in the Vivid Sydney spectacle from the water.

Stuart Ayres, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events, and Minister for Sport of New South Wales, said: “It’s wonderful to see the world’s best badminton athletes in New South Wales this week, enjoying the Vivid Sydney Festival from our spectacular Sydney Harbour. The Australia Open is a highlight of the winter sports calendar in New South Wales, and with the tournament being broadcast to over 200 million households worldwide, Sydney and the Vivid Sydney Festival will also reach a massive global audience.”Stuart Ayres) said: “It’s great to see the world’s best badminton players come to New South Wales this week to enjoy the vibrant Vivid Sydney spectacle on our spectacular Sydney Harbour. The Australian Open Badminton Championships is a highlight of the NSW winter events calendar, and with the tournament being broadcast to over 200 million households worldwide, Sydney and the Vivid Sydney light festival will also gain exposure to a huge media audience.”

The Australia Open is one of the twelve Super Series tournaments under the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Superseries, offering a total prize purse of USD 750,000. Participants also have the chance to earn ranking points towards the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

Sharleen Seah, CEO of Destination NSW and Executive Producer of Vivid Sydney,Sandra Chipchase) The woman said, "Badminton enjoys great popularity and attention in countries such as China, Malaysia, India, South Korea, and Indonesia. Events like the Xiamen Airlines Australia Badminton Open and Vivid Sydney are key drivers of international tourism, and they are also major reasons why Sydney and New South Wales welcome 3.6 million overseas visitors in 12 months.*"

*Data is from the Tourism Research Australia’s International Visitor Survey YE March 2016.

For details about the Australian Badminton Open, ticket sales, and other information, please visit: www.australianbadmintonopen.com.au.

For media information about Sydney, please visit: www.sydney.com.

To access the image gallery and download photos, please visit: http://images.destinationnsw.com.au/.