The LYB World Amateur Badminton Championship kicked off its first leg in South China's Nanning city on Friday to boost the sport at grassroots level all over the world.

The three-day competition, named after China's former badminton head coach Li Yongbo, gathered 2010 home and international badminton lovers who were divided into 6 age groups and adopted latest version of the rules by the China Badminton Association and Badminton World Federation.

Nanning, capital city of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, boasts a tradition of grassroots sports, with badminton as the sport of choice. The city will host the 2019 Sudirman Cup, the biannual world mixed team badminton championship, in May. Several Chinese world champions have ties to Guangxi.

Bordering Southeast Asia, where many major badminton powers are located, Nanning is set to take sport events as opportunities to boost its name recognition.