Opening Ceremony: 50th Dr O.P. Bhalla Haryana State Sub Junior Badminton Championship gets off to a Thrilling Start!

Faridabad District Badminton Association (FDBA) has given Faridabad’s Juniors the perfect opportunity to showcase their sporting acumen. This was amply evident at the inauguration of the 50th Dr O.P. Bhalla Haryana State Sub Junior Badminton Championship being held by Faridabad District Badminton Association (FDBA) under the aegis of Dr O.P. Bhalla Foundation. The Championship which is being held at the Manav Rachna Sports Academy in Sector 14, Faridabad, has in attendance 700 participants from 21 Districts of Haryana vying for top prizes in the Under 13 and Under 15 categories for both boys and girls. The inaugural ceremony of the 50th Dr O.P. Bhalla Haryana State Sub Junior Badminton Championship was privileged to have Haryana Badminton Association General Secretary Shri Ajay Singhania as Chief Guest. Dr Amit Bhalla, President, FDBA and Vice President, Manav Rachna Educational Institutions was the Guest of Honour at the Opening Ceremony. Also present on the occasion were District Sports Officer Shri Sunil Bharadwaj; FDBA General Secretary Shri Sanjay Sapra; Manav Rachna Director, Sports, Shri  Sarkar Talwar; FDBA Patrons including Shri Anand Mehta, Shri B.R. Bhandari, Shri C.K. Bhai among others. Eminent Guests present at the Championship motivated students to play in the true spirit of the game and give off their best.

Participants at the Championship hail from different districts of Haryana such as Bhiwani, Gurgaon, Panipat, Faridabad, Panchkula, Sonepat, Jhajjar, Mewat, Hissar and Rohtak. As many as 700 participants–Haryana’s front ranking and budding players at the sub junior level–are going to rise to the challenge and provide tough competition to each other at this 5 day event which would finally draw to a close on August 7, 2016. Addressing the Badminton players at the Opening Ceremony, Shri Ajay Singhania, Haryana Badminton Association General Secretary stated that the Sports Policy of Haryana has given Badminton the kind of impetus so as to reinforce Haryana’s position on the international sports map. He said further, “Haryana’s sportspersons have been excelling in various sports discipline and in the field of Badminton, they have been doing exceedingly well.” He congratulated all associated with the Championship for successfully hosting a Tournament of this stature, emphasizing the fact that this Championship will unearth a lot of hidden talent in Haryana state.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Amit Bhalla, President, FDBA and Vice President, MREI said, “This Championship is a tribute to Dr O.P. Bhalla who was an ardent advocate of Sports and integrated it as n indivisible part of the curriculum at Manav Rachna. 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.” 

It is noteworthy that Manav Rachna Educational Institutions is deeply enmeshed in a sports-centric philosophy, a culture that was first propagated by Founder Visionary Dr O.P. Bhalla. He believed that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body and emphasized upon sports as a major contributor of societal upliftment. It is in keeping with his philosophy and visionary zeal, Manav Rachna has left no stone unturned in providing the latest in sports facilities to students. 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) and STAG (for table tennis). MRSA has to its credit fully air-conditioned six synthetic Badminton courts which offer unmatched shock absorption, elasticity and stability to the athletes. The present Championship would not only provide superior world class infrastructure but also the guidance of national and international level coaches.