BAI Partners With Poona Sports for the National Junior Para Badminton Championship

NEW DELHI, March 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Badminton Association of India announced the dates of the National Junior Para Badminton Championship to be held on 29, 30 & 31st of March 2024. The event will be held in partnership with Poona Sports Pvt Ltd.

Speaking during the announcement, Mr Sanjay Misra, Secretary General, BAI, said, "We are excited at the prospects of developing future stars through this Love All Program and are happy to see corporate participation in the Para Badminton space."

Mr. Prabhakar Rao, Jt. Secretary, Badminton Association of India, said, "For the first time we are splitting the junior championship from the senior event to give extra focus on the junior circuit. We hope this event in partnership with Poona Sports and Bennett University will set the benchmark to develop young athletes for the 2028 Paralympics Games."

The Love All National Junior Para Badminton Championship will be held between 29th -31st March at the renowned Bennett University Campus in Greater Noida. The event will have the top Junior Para Badminton players in the country playing in it.

"We at The Times Group are delighted to partner with the Love All movement through the Junior Para Badminton championship. This aligns well with our organisation's ethos of inclusivity. We wholeheartedly support the initiatives of Love All to celebrate the courage and resilience displayed by People with Disabilities in areas of Sports, Art and Music," said Shekar Narayanaswamy the CEO of Times OOH.

The Love All movement is a partnership between Poona Sports, Times Group, Bennet University and Social enterprise Enable India.

P. Krishnamurthi (PK), Director Poona Sports, said, "We are delighted to be partnering with the Badminton Association of India to bring to life the spirit of the Love All movement through the Junior Para Badminton championship. The Love All movement aims to showcase the inspiring stories of courage and resilience displayed by People with Disabilities through the platforms of Sports and Music and inspire everyone to be the best version they can be."

National Coach and International Referee, PadmaShri Gaurav Khanna Ji, said, "Since 2015, participation in our National competitions has increased significantly. We started with less than 100 athletes in National Championships and now boast nearly 700 in our Sr. National Championships. We introduced Jr. events in Para Badminton in 2019, albeit with low participation initially, but have since continued to conduct them alongside our Sr. national championship. To provide more opportunities for young athletes, we're now separating Jr. National Competitions from Sr. Nationals and adopting the 'Youth Games' age format to better focus on talent development. I'm confident this will spark enthusiasm among youngsters."

The event will feature players from all six categories represented including WH1 (Wheelchair/ severe impairment), WH2 (Wheelchair/minor impairment), SL3 (Standing/lower limb impairment/severe), SL4 (Standing/ lower limb impairment/minor), SU5 (Standing/upper limb impairment), SH6 (Standing/short stature).

The teams will be open to both boys and girls. The event is being supported by the Paralympic Committee of India and is the official event of the Badminton Association of India.

For further information https://Love-all.in

About Poona Sports Pvt. Ltd.

Poona Sports is a social sports promotion company promoted by Badminton Legend Saina Nehwal, Serial sports entrepreneur Darshan M and Renowned FMCG Industry veteran P. Krishnamurthi. The company believes in promoting Indian talent and developing the sporting culture of the nation. The first initiative of the company is a project called LOVE ALL. Love All is a platform to celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities. You can find more at https://love-all.in