Record participation for Union Bank tourney

Bangalore : The 3rd Union Bank All India Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament is set to create a record of sorts when it gets underway in the last week of June at the K Raheja Stadium in Bangalore . Organisers have received an unprecedented number of entries -- 1,250 across 16 events -- making this the largest badminton event in the country. The tournament is being conducted by Padukone Sports Management, under the aegis of Karnataka Badminton Association and Badminton Association of India.

Organisers are crediting the huge participation to the timing of the event, without exams scheduled for the next few months. Another important factor is that the prestigious Krishna Khaitan tournament is being held immediately after. Players, especially from far-off states, can thus participate in two events on a single trip.

Around 1,240 entries have been received from 650 players, bringing the total number of matches to over 1,000. The participation has more than doubled this year, since the 2003 tournament had 315 players. The event will be held from June 25 to 30.

Prakash Padukone, former All England champion and Director of Padukone Sports Management, emphasised the importance of scheduling events in a circuit format. "The high participation of the Union Bank tournament goes to show the importance of timing an event, ensuring that it does not clash with exams. There should also be a conscious effort to form a circuit in the same region, both for seniors and juniors. Tournaments will then attract players from even far-off states. These players otherwise have to spend a lot of effort and money in coming for a single tournament and risking an early elimination. When there are a few more tournaments scheduled one after the other, they can compete in more matches, without spending too much extra money."

This is the first time the event is being held in June. The earlier versions were held in December, but the prospect of having a circuit prompted the organisers to host it just before the Krishna Khaitan.

Prakash Padukone believes that the Badminton Association of India will have to ensure that neighbouring states hosting tournaments should co-ordinate with each other to make a circuit, since this will help popularise the game and raise the standard. Higher participation also invites better sponsorship.

The first Union Bank tournament was held in 1999. After a break of two years, the tournament was restarted in 2002