Chandigarh, December 9, 2015: PNB MetLife India, one of India’s leading life insurance companies and SARA FOUNDATION (An organisation for the promotion of sports), bring the coveted National 2nd Junior Badminton Championship (JBC)- NORTH ZONE Chandigarh. Starting from December 9, the Chandigarh tournament finals will culminate on December 12, 2015. Receiving overwhemling response for the tournament, 800 participants registered for Chandigarh tournament. The tournament has been approved by BADMINTON ASSOCIATION OF INDIA (BAI) and is being conducted under the aegis of Chandigarh Badminton Association.
After the successful event at New Delhi which got concluded on 27th November 2015, the city of Chandigarh has taken the lead from other cities of North India to host this historic tournament which has created a great buzz amongst the Shuttle Badminton sport loving community.
This noble initiative is being conducted by SARA Foundation & PNB MetLife to promote grass root level sports across the Country.
The inaugural event in Chandigarh on December 9th will be attended by stalwarts. Ms Kanwal Thakur Singh – Arjuna Awardee and former international badminton player will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest.
As the momentum continues in Chandigarh wherein young and promising badminton players come together in a battle of skill and stamina in their respective age groups, 800 will fight out to secure place in champsionship finale. Further, the tournament is set to become interesting with Aakarshi Kashyap India no.1 (Under 15- Girls Singles) and Varun Trikha India no. 10 (under 15- Boys Singles) also participating in the same. The matches will be played in 5 categories - U-9, U-11, U-13, U-15 and U-17 (the new addition) for both boys and girls. Every city will select top four kids from each category and they will qualify for grand finale.
Commenting on the initiative, Surinder Mahajan, Secretary CBA and Senior Badminton Coach said, “Our best wishes to PNB MetLife and Sara Foundation for a successful PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship in our Chandigarh city. The response from the young shuttlers has been fantastic and we are happy to be associated with this exciting tournament. We are sure that this initiative will promote Badminton to the grass root level across the country.”
Speaking on the occasion, Ashutosh Kumar, Head of Marketing, PNB MetLife, said, “Chandigarh is one of the most well planned cities of India. Considering its great infrastructure, modern facilities and connectivity to the location from the adjoining states, we included the city to host PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship that has grown much in scale in its Season 2. With overwhelming response received from young and aspiring talent from several states especially Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, we aim to promote shuttlers with all possible support from the company. This tournament will identify top 10 badminton stars from Chandigarh who will compete in the National Finals in March 2016. We appreciate SARA Foundation for taking the lead to promote innovative practices in Indian sports and at the grass-root level.”
Ashish Kumar, Director, Sara Foundation said, “With successful completion of Delhi leg of this season which received phenomenal response from participants, we are excitingly looking forward to the Chandigarh leg of the tournament that starts from tomorrow. It feels great to share that our decision of holding the tournament in Chandigarh has received positive response and is welcomed by all. With support from PNB MetLife, we will spot top talent in Badminton sport and provide them with a platform to showcase their skills. Sara Foundation remains committed to promote sports and Chandigarh leg is sure to give it a big push in the right direction.”
After Chandigarh, the league is set to get under way in Mumbai, Lucknow, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Guwahati. The feat would shift back to Delhi for the semi-finals and finals starting March 30, 2016. Ten children and sixteen underprivileged children across different age-groups will win scholarships for training in a reputed Badminton Academy.
About PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Limited
PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Limited (PNB MetLife) is a joint venture between MetLife International Holdings Inc. (MIHI), Punjab National Bank Limited (PNB), Jammu & Kashmir Bank Limited (JKB), M. Pallonji and Company Private Limited and other private investors, with MIHI and PNB being the majority shareholders. PNB MetLife was previously known as MetLife India Insurance Company Limited and has been present in India since 2001.
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About Sara Foundation
Sara foundation is deeply engaged in scouting and promoting sports talent throughout the country. In recent times, the organization has been identifying many sports prodigies (Boys/Girls) and has been providing sustainable support to many young sports talent in the country.
Sara Foundation has designed a series of regional and national level sports activities in India for school children to help them participate and develop a SPORTS CULTURE. After winning many successes & accolades in recent times, now the organization is all geared to organize the much awaited national tournament- ‘PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship (JBC) 2016’.
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