China, Thailand ink agreement in cooperation to promote badminton

BANGKOK, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The badminton associations of China and Thailand signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) here on Friday to promote exchange and cooperation in the sport.

The agreement was signed by Zhang Jun, president of Chinese Badminton Association and KhunyingPatama Leeswadtrakul, president of the Badminton Association of Thailand. The signing was witnessed by Han Zhiqiang, Chinese ambassador to Thailand.

Zhang said he hopes the MoU will result in the shuttlers of both countries achieving great success in major competitions like the Olympic Games and Asian Games. He also expressed appreciation to the Thai Badminton Association for helping the Chinese badminton team to set up a training base in Thailand for international tournaments.

For her part, KhunyingPatama said the cooperation with China would help the development of Thai badminton both in the short and long term.

KhunyingPatama, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, spoke highly of China's assistance to other countries including in sports development. She also recalled a "splendid" Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics that China has presented to the world, saying that the great performance of the Chinese athletes, as well as the officials and volunteers of the Games, have left her with deep impressions.

According to the MoU, the badminton associations of the two countries will encourage and promote the exchange of programs, experiences, skills, techniques among others in areas like training of athletes and coaches, to promote the development of badminton.