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PNB MetLife, one of India’s leading life insurance companies, kick-started the Mumbai leg of the fourth season of Junior Badminton Championship in the city on Friday. The tournament, one of the biggest National open-platform for Badminton is being held at Andheri Sports Complex.
The first day of the five-day tournament in the city saw over 1051 young future prodigies engaging in epic clashes. The fourth season of the tournament promises more to be exciting and high-octane badminton action.
The tournament was inaugurated by Uday Pawar, former International badminton player and current coach at Uday Pawar Badminton Academy, who graced the occasion as the chief guest for the opening ceremony in Mumbai.
The event also had the presence of Guest of Honour from PNB, Mr. Sarang Cheema, Deputy Director – Ethics & Compliance, PNB MetLife, Anand Pawar, former International badminton player and coach, Pradeep Gandhe, former International badminton player, Vice President - Badminton Association of India, Senior Vice President - Maharashtra Badminton Association, BAI observer for Mumbai and Vishwajit Bhatnaghar, Secretary of Mumbai suburban district badminton association.
This year, JBC is scheduled to cover the length and breadth of the country with tournaments in 10 cities - Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Kochi, Lucknow, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Guwahati and New Delhi. The matches will be played in four age categories – Under-9, 11, 13 and 15 for boys and girls. Top two kids from each category from every city tournament will proceed to the National Finale in New Delhi scheduled on Aug 9-10 to fight for the National title.
The platform is being sponsored by PNB MetLife, with CRY Foundation as the CSR partner. The aim of this initiative is to revive the spirit of the sport by nurturing the right talent at an amateur level, thereby fostering their growth and ability to perform on a global scale.
Nipun Kaushal, chief Marketing Officer, PNB MetLife said, “Over the years JBC 4 has become a much-awaited event and it is heartening to see the response to the tournament in different cities. We have used an integrated communication approach to promote this Olympic sport so that more children can benefit from playing it.
We expect to have a total of 8000 children participate in this year’s edition. We are committed to providing more children access to this platform. The passion and commitment that we saw is a testament that tomorrow, as national players, these children will cross new boundaries in the sport of Badminton.”
The Chief Guest for the event, Uday Pawar, former badminton player and the current coach at his academy called Uday Pawar Badminton Academy, said, “Talented young shuttlers today have the PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship platform to demonstrate their skills. I am glad to be associated with an initiative that encourages the development of gen-next badminton players and further bolsters the recognition and exposure the sport deserves in India.”
The national-level tournament, approved by Badminton Association of India (BAI), has in the past four years grown from strength-to-strength to become one of the biggest annual national level platforms for young badminton enthusiasts.
Speaking on the occasion, BAI President – Mr Himanta Biswa Sarma, said, “We are delighted to associate with PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship (JBC) 4. Through this initiative, young children can now hone their skills and chase their badminton dreams. India has the potential to produce many budding sports stars. Platforms like these take the sport to different parts of the country and make it accessible to all.”
After Mumbai, JBC 4 will be travelling to Kolkata, Hyderabad and Delhi.
Remaining tournament schedule:
Kolkata | 8th July – 10th July
Hyderabad | 12th July – 15th July
Guwahati | 14th July – 16th July
Delhi | 17th July – 21st July
Delhi finale | 9th Aug – 10th Aug
