Frequently Asked Questions

Is this an open tournament?

The Ottawa District Championships is an open tournament, and all are welcome to participate, regardless of your current address.  The only exception is for the individuals which are currently district champions outside of the ODBA boundaries.  In other words, it should not be possible to have an individual the district champion of 2 or more districts.

How do I register?

To register, go online to http://districts.odba.ca, and click on the Register Here link, then fill out the online form.

Can I sign up through Tournament Software?

This year, you can't sign up through tournament software.  Please sign up through the districts.odba.ca website, and provide the Tournament Software Member ID.  Tournament Software will be used for the draws.

Do I need to supply my own shuttles?

Shuttles are not provided except for the A-Finals.  For the A Finals, 6 feather shuttles will be provided for the Men's Singles match, Men's Doubles match, Women's Singles match, Women's Doubles match, and Mixed Doubles match.

Is this a feather or plastic shuttle tournament?

The default shuttle for the A and B flights are white feather birds.  The default shuttle for the C and D flights are the white Yonex Mavis 300 shuttles.  Unless both sides agree to using an alternative, you must use the default shuttle.

Do you accept volunteers?

This tournament is not possible without the help of volunteers.  In the past we've had high school student volunteers and adult volunteers.  We don't accept students younger than the grade 9 level.  If you are interested in helping with volunteering, please email districts@odba.ca with the subject header "Volunteering".  Volunteers will be provided snacks and small meals.

What do the volunteers do?

There are several volunteer positions.  There are timers, runners, scoresheet updaters, photographers, videographers, draw desk, website development, and planning & organizing the event.  Volu

Will there be any masseuses at the tournament?

Yes, we will invite the International Academy of Massage to the District Championships.  In the past, they usually only agree to show up on the Saturdays.  And, there's usually about 8 to 12 masseuses.

How do I make a change to my registration?

Please send an email to districts@odba.ca and indicate what changes you would like to make.  This includes if you want to cancel/withdraw your registration.

Can a female play in the Men's draw?

You may request to play in the Men's draw, but there is no guarantee your request will be granted.  It is solely up to the tournament organizers to decide.  The decision will be based on the number of entries in the Men's draw, number of entries in the Women's draw, and perceived level of the female to arguably compete in the Men's draw.  For the mixed draw, 2 females are not permitted.

What are the prizes?

As this is an adult tournament, we provide cash prizes for the district championships.  In the past few years, the prizes have been $50.00 - for a total of $400 (1 MS, 1 WS, 2 MD, 2 WD, and 2 XD).  There are shirts, bags, grips, bubble-tea coupons and other assortment of prizes for the A-Finalists, B-Winners, B-Finalists, C-Winners, C-Finalists, D-Winners, and D-Finalists.

Will umpires and line judges be provided?

We are going to be trying to supply umpires and line judges for semi-finals and finals, but usually we are limited with the number available.  As a participant of the tournament, you always have the right to request for line judges, and the tournament organizer is responsible for providing any available line judges.

How much is the warm-up time?

Timers will indicate when a 3 minute warm-up time is over.  For Singles, the warm-up time begins when both opponents step onto the court.  For Doubles, the warm-up time begins when 2 people of the same team step onto the court.  Between games, there is a 2 minute break.  On the 3rd game (only), there is a 60 second break on the 11th point.  At which point, opponents must switch sides.

Can coaches or parents provide coaching during a match?

The only time a coach, friend, or parent may provide coaching is between games and on the 11th point of the 3rd game.  There should be no more than 1 person providing coaching advice.  Parents trying to communicate during the middle of a match will be asked to move further away from the court.

Is it possible to get an invoice and receipt?

Yes, invoices and receipts will always be honoured.  Invoices and receipts are by special request only.  Receipts are usually for reimbursement purposes.  Receipts can not be used for the Federal Children's Fitness Tax Credit because this is not an 8 week program.

If there are profits, where do they go?

The 2014 Districts profits goes into the ODBA bank.  The tournaments organizers work for free.  For the 2014 tournament, the revenue was $4485, expenses were $4341.22, resulting in a profit of $143.78, and 0 honorariums.  The photographers, videographers, t-shirt designer, and poster designer are paid contracted individuals.  However, if there are losses, the ODBA soaks up the losses.  Since the ODBA entity is willing to absorb all of the risk, it is agreed that 100% of the profits goes to them too.  With other sports, if an entity bids to host a tournament, and they absorb the risk, then they are usually entitled to the profits.  The ODBA is a non-profit organization, and redistributes the profits into other programs contributing to the badminton community, or offers honorariums.    In previous years, honorariums have been distributed.  What that means is that all of the volunteers knowingly work for free, without any expectation of compensation.  An honorarium is a monetary compensation awarding inviduals for their great work.  Honorariums have never exceeded $1 per hour of work. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.