Team Scotland’s Badminton players have been named as No.5 seeds behind Malaysia for the Badminton team event at the Commonwealth Games, due to start in just over a week’s time.
The seeding is a reward for their unbeaten run at last year’s Sudirman Cup, when the squad topped Division Two after beating higher ranked opposition.
The 10-strong squad will have the chance to rise to the occasion once again at Glasgow 2014 after being seeded behind big guns Malaysia, England, India and Singapore, but ahead of New Zealand, Canada and Australia.
The Malaysians will be chasing a hat-trick of team titles at the Emirates Arena while Scotland’s strong squad will be looking to add to their 2002 team bronze in Manchester.
Commenting on the news Team Scotland Chef de Mission Jon Doig said: “Scotland’s No.5 seeding sets this year’s competition up to be very exciting. Representing Scotland at a home Commonwealth Games is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of our elite athletes and I urge the crowds to get behind the team.”
The 23 competing nations will be divided into six groups, with the group winners and best two runners-up going forward to the knockout quarter-finals.
Badminton will feature on all 11 competition days of the Games with the opening group matches on 24 July. The quarter-finals will be on Saturday, 26 July, with the semi-finals the next day and the gold and bronze medal matches on the Monday.
The individual events will then run from 29 July – 3 August.
The Scotland squad is: Robert Blair, Kieran Merrilees, Paul Van Rietvelde, Patrick MacHugh, Martin Campbell; Imogen Bankier, Kirsty Gilmour, Jillie Cooper, Caitlin Pringle and Rebekka Findlay.
Merrilees, Van Rietvelde, Bankier, Cooper and Gilmour all played in the 2010 Games. Blair was part of the England silver medal squad in Melbourne 2006 and the England squad which won team gold in Manchester 2002 when Scotland took team bronze.
SEEDING LIST:
1 Malaysia
2 England
3 India
4 Singapore
5 Scotland
6 New Zealand
7 Australia
8 Canada
Photo credit: Badminton Scotland