We could not get any childcare today as it is Mother’s day, so I took a couple of friends with me. I’m familiar with Birmingham, but this was the first time I’d been to the NIA. As a venue, it was ideal for staging such a tournament, with great lighting, temperature and atmosphere as befitting one of the top badminton tournaments in the world. Around the arena, there were a number of stalls promoting badminton with games that you could play, and retailers selling Yonex merchandise.We were seated in block 10, row M which afforded great views but sitting for five hours required regular stretching of legs. The five hours didn’t feel long though, in fact, quite the opposite as all the five finals were exciting and kept us thoroughly entertained throughout. We are looking forward to 2014 already!
