COMPETITORS from all over the world will travel to Bolton for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

As revealed in yesterday's BEN, the badminton event will be held at the new £14.8 million complex which is being built at Middlebrook.

Today, Mr John Havers, chairman of the Badminton Association of England, explained what a major coup this is for Bolton.

He said: "This is not a Mickey Mouse competition.

"There will be competitors from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and Canada as well as, of course, from this country and the other home nations." Mr Havers added: "The facilities in Bolton look excellent.

"It is a magnificent building and we are convinced that by 2002 it will be first class."

He added that it was possible another major international event could be held at Middlebrook in 2001 as a 'trial run' for the big event.

He said it would probably be a veterans' competition, but something which would attract a wide range of competitors.

He explained: "We would not want it to be so big that it would detract from the Commonwealth Games the following year.

"But it would be a major competition to test out the transport arrangements and to iron out any problems before 2002."

Bolton's own former Commonwealth Games badminton champion Chris Hunt welcomed yesterday's announcement.

He said: "It is superb news. I don't know too much about the Middlebrook complex but, from what I do, it sounds great and it is brilliant for Bolton."

Chris now lives near Milton Keynes but his family is still in Ashdene Crescent, Harwood.

He won two golds and a silver in the 1994 Commonwealth Games and two silvers in Malaysia last year despite being injured.

"It would be nice to win a gold again in my home town in 2002," Chris added.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.