A record number of competitors from all over Europe will test their badminton skills at the "Serbian U17 & Youth International" tournament, which will be held from June 22 to 25 at SC "Slana bara" in Klisa in Novi Sad.

In just a few days, badminton will become a link that, within the tournament Serbian U17 & Youth International Novi Sad 2023, will bring together young people from all over Europe who are united by their love for this sport. The tournament is being held for the 11th time in a row under the patronage of Badminton Europe and with the support of the Ministry of Sports of the Republic of Serbia, the Provincial Secretariat for Sports and Youth and the City of Novi Sad.

This summer it exceeded all records and reached impressive numbers: more than 400 young competitors, but also more than 800 participants who come to Novi Sad from as many as 26 countries.

Badminton rackets will be crossed by young competitors in men's and women's singles, as well as in men's, women's and mixed doubles. On Thursday, June 22, U11, U13 and U15 players will be the first to take the field and officially open this year's Serbian YOUTH International competition. The very next day, the pitches are reserved for the Serbian U17 International competition for players up to 17 years old.

The weekend is scheduled for the culmination of the competition, the semi-final and final matches, when the young stars of European badminton will be singled out. After the final part of the competition on Sunday, June 25, there will be the Awards and medals ceremony to the competitors who handled the badminton rackets most successfully and achieved the best results.

The traditional tournament "Serbian U17 & Youth International Novi Sad 2023" belongs to the TOP 3 tournaments of this kind at the European level in terms of number of participants, level of organization, quality of competitors and other relevant parameters, and it is listed in the official calendar of the BEC.

In the international framework, the tournament will carry the status of a Grand Prix competition while, at the national level, it is recognized as a manifestation of importance for the Republic of Serbia and for the society, because the youth shows a huge interest in this sport. Many times on the field Serbia proved to offer only the best in this Olympic sport, as evidenced by hundreds of medals won at international competitions.

The success is best illustrated by the numbers: more than 100 medals at European and world official competitions, five medals at European championships, the bronze medal won at the Mediterranean Games, the dominant first place of Andjela Vitman in the BWF junior ranking, as well as the high 56th place of the mixed doubles Tomić/Vitman in 2023, the bronze medal at the European Para-Badminton Championship, etc.

Serbian competitors record top results, which is reflected in the sport itself, so badminton advanced to the second category of national sports in the previous year. The city of Belgrade hosted in 2022 the official Badminton Europe (BEC) European Junior Championship, and Serbian badminton received its first BEC referee.

The organizers of the badminton tournament in Novi Sad are the Badminton Association of Serbia, the Badminton Association of Vojvodina and the Badminton Club Novi Sad, and "Serbian U17 & Youth International" was also supported by: Victor, Algotech, Lenovo, Beoexpo System, Tin Šped, Coca Cola HBC Serbia, Bambi, Tourist Organization of Serbia and Tourist Organization of Novi Sad.