I

ndonesia with a huge badminton fan base is hosting the Djarum Indonesia Open (DIO) 2011, a grand slam badminton tournament, for the first time.

The event, held at Senayan Sports Hall, kicked off on June 21 and will run through June 26, 2011.

The sizeable qualifying matches in Senayan Sports Hall Monday marked the kickoff of the second largest world-class tournament with total prize money of US$600,000. This event is deemed one of the 12 world super series championships. The prize is a significant increase from US$250,000 total prize money from the tournament last year.

Some 288 badminton players from all over the world are participating in the Djarum Indonesia Open 2011 which is involving some 78 officials from 25 participating countries. This includes the mandatory participation of all the top 10 world class badminton players.

The first day of the event ended with a welcome dinner at Sultan Hotel from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on June, 21, hosted by Steny Agustav and Sandra Dewi who were attractively dressed in batik.

The event was attended by local and foreign badminton athletes from Japan, Korea, and Russia, also dressed in batik Kudus designed by renowned local designer Oscar Lawalata.

Also attending the event was Djoko Santoso, former Jakarta governor Sutiyoso, KONI chairman Rita Subowo and Djarum representative Roland Halim.

“As a host, of course we want to serve our guests the best we can. We also want to introduce Indonesian culture to them, so that we wrapped up this event with a traditional Indonesian atmosphere,” said Djarum representative Roland Halim.

This informal outdoor event took place at the hotel’s poolside, serving Indonesian cuisine and was enlivened with attractive displays where athletes could learn about shuttlecock manufacturing, wood carving and making “ketupat”.