Larger talent pool for PNB tourney
Registration for PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship was declared open on Tuesday with the fourth edition of the tournament being held in 10 cities.
To reach a larger talent pool, applications have been extended — to New Delhi, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata and Guwahati this year.
The first leg will kick off from Chandigarh’s Sports Complex on Thursday. The Chandigarh leg will culminate on Saturday, followed by three- day camps at the other nine centres. The Delhi leg will begin on July 17, followed by the final from August 9 to10.
The tournament has witnessed a rise in participation from it previous editions and registration can be digital as well as manual this year. The basic process involves online registration wherein one can register through more than 200 micro communities. Participants can also call on a toll free number (+ 919172530523) to facilitate the registration process.
Additionally, schools, sports academies and badminton associations will also be involved in the registration process.
For the past three years, the tournament has given opportunities to underprivileged children to receive training in badminton.
The children, aged between seven and 15, compete for the trophy to earn a full scholarship to a badminton academy in their home city. Through the tournament around 140 underprivileged children have been awarded scholarships so far.