An event that recognised young shuttlers
PHOTOS: HTCS
The fourth edition of the PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship (JBC) 2018 concluded with a grand awards ceremony, held recently in the Capital, at the Thyagaraj Stadium. Eight young shuttlers were named winners in the tournament across four categories: U-9, U-11, U-15 and U-17. Awards were also presented to the runners-up and the top two semi-finalists for the boys and girls categories.
This year, top 16 Shuttlers from 10 cities (compared to 8 last year) played different rounds to reach the finale. The number of competitors this year, too, went up from 3000 in its inaugural edition (in 2015) to 8500 this time.
Chief guest at the ceremony, badminton legend Prakash Padukone, said, “It gives me immense pleasure to see how far badminton has progressed in becoming the second highest-played sport in India. As a coach, I would like to acknowledge initiatives like this that go a long way in the development of the sport.”
Ashish Srivastava, MD & CEO, PNB MetLife, said, “I want to congratulate all the winners for their exemplary performance and the participants for their enthusiasm. We will continue to encourage youngsters to adopt this sport.” Apart from the 32 shuttlers who won awards, 16 scholarships have also been awarded to recognise and empower talent from economically-weaker sections. PNB MetLife in association with CSR partner Child Rights & You (CRY) will also train 64 children from CRY centres, out of which a deserving 16 have won yearlong scholarships. Soha Moitra, Regional Director (North), CRY – Child Rights and You, said, “This tournament has created value for players to showcase their exemplary performance at a national level.”