The Amaron All India Sub Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament for under -13 and under-15 boys and girls began at the NTR Municipal Stadium here on Monday. The tourney is being hosted by the Guntur District Badminton Association and the management of the NTR Stadium and it will conclude on October 25.
About 800 entries were received for qualifying matches and 400 entries for main draw to begin on October 23.
Top players \
to take part
AP Badminton Association secretary Punnaiah Chowdary said that all top ranked BAI players are taking part in this Indian team selection tournament for sub-juniors. Guntur District Badminton Association president Rayapati Ranga Rao, secretary T. Sampath Kumar said that the Hova court material was being used in all six courts at the stadium and at the JKC College Indoor Stadium.
AP Olympic Association president Galla Jayadev, Narasaraopet MP Rapayati Sambasiva Rao, Guntur MLA M. Venugopal Reddy and Telugu Desam national committee general secretary Nara Lokesh would be present at the inauguration of the main draw on October 21.
The Badminton Association of India has nominated Manjusha Sahasrabudhe of Pune as tourney referee assisted by K. Pani Rao, BAC Referee and M.S.N. Prasad, BAI Match Control.
About 25 qualified umpires and Technical officials have been nominated.
Table Tennis tourney
Meanwhile, the Visakhapatnam District Table Tennis Association would conduct a State ranking tournament from October 21 to 23. is planning to take the game to all corners of the district, its president and MLC M.V.S. Sarma has said.
Addressing a press conference held in Visakhapatnam on Monday, association president M.V.S. Sarma said “This game is not an expensive one. Once a table is arranged, the recurring cost is not much. Tables can be placed anywhere and also at schools that do not have a ground. Fortunately, we have top officials who had played the game in the past. Collector N. Yuvaraj had been a player of the game. DRM of Waltair Chandralekha Mukherjee had represented West Bengal in the Nationals at the junior level.” For the tournament, all major institutions have been roped in and it is one reason for receiving 368 entries.
