Twenty-six years after it hosted badminton’s debut at the Olympics, Barcelona will play host to an HSBC BWF World Tour event.

The Spain Masters, part of the HSBC BWF World Tour and a Super 300 tournament, will see the return of the big badminton names to the Catalonian city. Among the stars expected to grace the inaugural edition will be Olympic champion Carolina Marin (featured image). Barcelona will host the event for the next four years.

To be held from 28 August to 2 September 2018 at the Vall D’Hebron Olympic Pavillion, the Spain Masters joins ten other Super 300 events on the HSBC BWF World Tour. A total prize purse of US$150,000 will be up for grabs. The other Super 300 events on the circuit are: Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters; Yonex Swiss Open; Yonex German Open; Barfoot & Thompson New Zealand Open; Crown Group Australian Open; Yonex US Open; Yonex Chinese Taipei Open; Macau Open; Syed Modi International Badminton Championships, and Korea Masters.

Spain also has an International Challenge event – the Iberdrola Spanish International – which was hosted in June in Madrid.

Barcelona 1992 marked the beginning of Spain’s association with hosting top-level badminton. Over the years, it has hosted several high-profile events, including the World Championships in 2001 and 2006, the Sudirman Cup in 2001, and the recent European Championships.