Around 750 players are vying for the top slot in Dr. O P Bhalla 51st Haryana State Sub-Junior Badminton Championship 2017

With every passing year, the Haryana State Sub-Junior Championship is growing bigger in size and stature.

In the 51st Haryana State Sub-Junior Badminton Championship 2017, being organized in the memory of Dr. O P Bhalla; around 750 entries were received from 22 districts of Haryana. Out of these, 400 participants (of which 150 are girls) made it to the qualifiers round. The five-day tournament (November 1-5, 2017) was inaugurated today at the Manav Rachna Sports Academy in Sector 14, Faridabad by Mr. Devender Singh (IAS), President, Haryana Badminton Association (HBA). The tournament is organized by the Faridabad District Badminton Association (FDBA) under the aegis of the Haryana Badminton Association.

Participants at the Championship hail from different districts of Haryana such as Bhiwani, Gurugram, Panipat, Faridabad, Panchkula, Sonepat, Jhajjar, Mewat, Hissar and Rohtak. While declaring the Championship open, Mr. Devender Singh said: “I am happy to note that Badminton, as a sport has given the State of Haryana many National and International level players. This can be attributed to the concerted efforts by the Association and institutions like Manav Rachna in providing students with state-of-the-art infrastructure. Such vigorous participation, even at the sub-junior level is testimony to the growing stature of the sport”. He also appreciated parents for supporting their children in pursuing their passion for the sport, adding that it is sports that give students a wholesome personality, health, spirit, and an accurate mind.

Also present at the inaugural ceremony were Mr. Ajay Singhania, General Secretary, HBA; Dr. Amit Bhalla, President-FDBA & VP, Manav Rachna Educational Institutions (MREI); Mr. Sarkar Talwar, Director Sports, MREI; Mr. Sanjay Sapra, General Secretary, FDBA and patrons of HBA including Mr. M.M Kathuria, Mr. Anand Mehta, Mr. C.K Bhai and Mr. B.R Bhandari.

Reiterating that such Championships are the grooming ground for achievers, Dr. Amit Bhalla said: “This Championship is a tribute to Dr O.P. Bhalla who was an ardent advocate of Sports. The Manav Rachna Sports Academy that we see today is a true reflection of his vision and dream as it provides the best in sports infrastructure and world-class facilities to help groom players at national and international levels. There is no dearth of talent in Badminton in Haryana state. This Championship will definitely foster sportsman spirit among the players as they showcase their immense potential and talent.” 

At the Manav Rachna Sports Academy (MRSA), there exists state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities and training provided by renowned names in the national and international sports circuits. Many of the sports facilities have been designed in consultation with leading brands like YONEX (for Badminton). MRSA has to its credit fully air-conditioned six synthetic Badminton courts which offer unmatched shock absorption, elasticity and stability to the athletes.