International Badminton players have started arriving in the Ugandan capital Kampala ahead of the Uganda International Championship scheduled to start on Thursday.

Shama Aboobaker from Mauritius who is ranked second in the women's draw for the singles said on Wednesday that she is more than ready for action.

"I know it will not be an easy tournament, but I have trained hard and ready to give my best," said Aboobaker, who arrived in the East African country on Monday.

Ten Egyptian players led by Abdelrahman Kashkal and Muhmoud El Sayad arrived in Uganda on Wednesday.

Africa's top female player Grace Gabriel from Nigeria has vowed to win the title.

"I will not underrate any player, but will go all out to win the title," said the Nigerian who narrowly missed qualification for the 2012 London Olympics.

In the absence of the men's defending champion Niluka Karunaratne from Sri Lanka, his younger brother Dinuka Karunaratne will try his luck against top players like Edwin Ekiring (Uganda), Alistair Casey (Scotland), Giovanni Grecco (Italy), Subhankar Dey (India) and Daniel Messersi (Italy).

The event which runs from Feb. 21-24 will have cash prizes at stake and international ranking points for the best players. Endi

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