The sky is the limit for North Harbour junior Amy Wang who is about to embark on an experience like no other, attending the International Badminton u16 Shonai Invitational 2025 tournament in Japan. In 2025, North Harbour were fortunate to have another representative at the 2024 event, Yanxi Liu.
This tournament, by invitation only, will feature two players from each of the 13 countries attending. Boys’ singles and girls’ singles events are played at this tournament beginning in a round robin format.
The top two players will progress into the championships knock out draw while the third and fourth placed players will progress to the consolation knock out draw.
At the young age of thirteen, this talented and confident North Harbour junior and member of the New Zealand u15 Development Squad, will soon arrive in Japan for the second time in as many months. Earlier this year Amy was a member of a North Harbour team who participated in the Tomioka World Project 2025 in Fukushima, a four-day pre-tournament training camp and tournament. Players from China, Chinese Taipei and Japanese domestic teams were present.
The future is very bright for this dedicated badminton player who is mature beyond her years. We had a Q & A with Amy as she prepares for her next adventure. Here is what she had to say about life in her badminton world…
What age were you when you started playing badminton?
I started getting into badminton when I was seven but started playing properly when I was nine years old.
Why did you start playing badminton?
Before I started playing badminton, I played netball. That was until my mum was influenced by our new neighbour about the sport of badminton. As badminton is an indoor sport and there’s no physical contact, my mum decided to let me try it out. I found that I really enjoyed it, so I kept going.
Your improvement over the last few years has been exceptional. What do you think has contributed to that?
What contributed the most to my improvement would be the support from my family and association. Knowing that my parents always have my back, I wasn’t afraid of anything, and I worked through a lot of challenges. Getting a sponsorship from Yonex boosted my confidence a lot and made me want to work even harder.
You have recently been to Japan with the North Harbour group, and then to Melbourne with the New Zealand u15 group. How have these two experiences helped you prepare for Shonai?
Going to Japan helped me get a better understanding of how kids in other countries play, with some that I will meet again at the Shonai event.
The Australia experience taught me that anything is possible, and I shouldn’t think that people are so much better than me before the game. The Australia event was an opportunity for me to step outside my comfort zone and get to know other people, which will prepare me for the Shonai event.
What are your goals for Shonai?
My goals for Shonai are to play to the best of my ability and hopefully win some games.
What are you most looking forward to at the Shonai event?
I’m looking forward to meeting new people from all across the world and play matches against them.
Who is your favourite player and why?
My favourite badminton player is Chen Yu Fei (CHN) because she’s very consistent, good at defending, and her mental toughness is very strong.
Where do you hope to be with your badminton in five years’ time?
In five years, I hope that I still play badminton, am attending lots of international tournaments, and continuing to win.
For information about the International Badminton u16 Shonai Invitational 2025, follow this link.
