~ Largest badminton open-platform to identify and train underprivileged shuttlers ~

~ Championship expanded 10 cities including Lucknow, Kochi and Guwahati ~

Mumbai, May 22, 2018: PNB MetLife, one of India’s leading life insurance company, announced the launch of its fourth edition of national badminton tournament ‘PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship (JBC) 2018’ - recognised by the Badminton Association of India (BAI), today.

PNB MetLife aims to revive the spirit of the sport by nurturing players and the right talent at an amateur level, thereby fostering their growth and ability to perform on a global scale. The company’s vision is to promote badminton, India’s second-most popular sport, in the 7-to-15 year age group*. As such, JBC4 falls under the ambit of the company’s ‘Health for Happiness’ initiative which aims to encourage sports and an active lifestyle amongst children.

Health for Happiness has been instrumental in highlighting fitness initiatives such as the Satara Hill Half Marathon (SHHM) in an attempt to inculcate the importance of health and fitness amongst its stakeholders. While SHHM focuses on adults, JBC aims to foster the fitness mantra amongst children.

Registrations for JBC4 are open across centres in the country. To reach a larger talent pool, this year, the applications have been extended to 10 cities — New Delhi, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata and Guwahati.

This year, the Championship has observed an exponential rise in participation, following positive feedback on its previous editions. In the past, endorsement from badminton giants such as Saina Nehwal, Ashwini Ponnappa, Dinesh Khanna, to name a few, has helped in fostering interest in this initiative.

Under the JBC initiative, PNB MetLife’s sole focus remains to identify and nurture talent. In a world dominated by gaming consoles, their aim is to build awareness within children as regards health and fitness. In its efforts to reach the right target audience, JBC as a project assumes further significance for its association with CRY (Child Rights and You). Over the past three years as a part of JBC, underprivileged children were trained in badminton. The children are pitted against each other to compete for the trophy to earn them a full scholarship to a badminton academy in their home city. Over the past three years, PNB MetLife has awarded scholarships to 140 underprivileged children.

Mr. Ashish Kumar Srivastava, Managing Director and CEO, PNB MetLife India Insurance Company, said, “We are delighted to launch the fourth edition of PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship. In our journey with this property so far, it was our endeavour to nurture talent and create equal opportunities in the sport of badminton at the grassroot level. The diversity that badminton is able to bring in resonates deeply with our brand values and solidifies   our belief that physical fitness is as important to an individual's happiness as fiscal fitness.  Through the past three editions, the tournament has allowed thousands of young kids to showcase their skills. We look forward to make the fourth season even bigger and better. The platform also strengthens our CSR initiative and reinforces our commitment to provide underprivileged children with the opportunity to be trained by professionals in the sport. We believe that JBC will continue to cultivate positive responses from our participants in the years to come.”

This year, the JBC registration process involves a mix of the digital and the traditional. The basic process would involve online registration wherein one can register through more than 200 micro communities and 6,000 mum bloggers. Participants can also call on the toll free number (+919172530523) to facilitate the registration process. Additionally, schools, sports academies and badminton associations will also be involved in the registration process, to invite participation from all parts of India.

Soha Moitra, Regional Director (North), CRY – Child Rights and You, said, “We are glad to be partnering with PNB MetLife’s Junior Badminton Championship programme. The platform brings together children from various sections of the society, and prompts them to engage and communicate with each other. Sports and activities are integral to children’s growing years and this initiative drives home the very point successfully.”

The first match will be kicked off from Chandigarh’s Sports complex Sector-43-A. Following is the complete schedule of this edition:

For registration & updates log onto: https://www.healthforhappiness.in/

*Source: Livemint-Dated August 30, 2017

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.

For more information, visit PNB MetLife