The annual district-level badminton championship, conducted by the district badminton association, received overwhelming response this year with more than 200 school and college students and 100 men and women taking part and winning total prize money of Rs 70,000. The response was very good this year after the district administration renovated the three courts in the indoor badminton stadium at the Sethupathy Seethakathi Stadium here at a cost of Rs.50 lakh and the association organised special coaching camps for school students, S.S. Shaiek Abdullah, secretary of the association, said.
The three-day championship from October 21 for school students — boys and girls — was conducted in four different age groups of below 10, 13, 15 and 17 and separately for college men and women students, he said.
In the open to all section for men and women, the events were conducted for below 40 years, above 40 and 50 years, he said, adding that veterans also vied for honours.
The association jointly organised the championship with Kanagamani Hospital and awarded total prize money in the form of gift vouchers worth Rs.70,000, Mr. Abdullah said. As large number of school student evinced interest in the sport, the association decided to identity the best talents and help them with special coaching during summer, he said. The summer camp would be held for 21 days. “We proposed to engage a professional coach from Chennai or Madurai and hone the technical skills of the best talents in the district,” he said.
The championship was sponsored by Life and Living and other philanthropists in the district, he said. T. Arvind Raj, chairman of the association, K.R. Chezhiyan, treasurer, Dr Madhuram Arvind Raj, president of the district hockey association, A. Ravichandra Ramavanni, president district volleyball association, were among others graced the prize distribution ceremony on Sunday.
