Paljor Stadium hosts nation’s top talents as 49th Junior National Badminton Championship 2026 begins

HEMIKA NAG

GANGTOK,: The 49th Yonex-Sunrise Junior National Badminton Championship 2026 was formally inaugurated at Paljor Stadium, Gangtok on Saturday with a vibrant opening ceremony attended by distinguished dignitaries, sports officials, players, coaches and badminton enthusiasts.

The ceremony commenced with the grand entrance of participating teams representing different zones of the country, alongside the host State, Sikkim. The teams represented Karnataka (South Zone), Uttarakhand (East Zone), Maharashtra (West Zone), Haryana (North Zone), Assam (North East Zone) and Sikkim (Host). The girls' teams represented Tamil Nadu (South Zone), Uttarakhand (East Zone), Maharashtra (West Zone), Delhi (North Zone), Assam (North East Zone) and Sikkim (Host).

The entrance of the teams was followed by the National Anthem, setting a patriotic tone for the prestigious national-level sporting event. Badminton Association of Sikkim (BAS) is organising this tournament which has been declared as a State event by the Sikkim government.

Sports minister Raju Basnet declared the tournament open in presence of Badminton Association of India (BAI) vice president S. Muralidharan, BAI officials, BAS executives, invited guests, players and officials.

Gangtok Mayor Tshering Palden Bhutia, also the BAS senior vice president, presented the welcome address where she expressed immense pride in Sikkim hosting the prestigious national championship. She extended her best wishes to the visiting teams as well as the players representing the host State, highlighting the importance of such platforms in nurturing young sporting talent and building a strong future for Indian badminton.

Organised by the Badminton Association of Sikkim under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India, the championship provides a significant platform for emerging Under-19 players to demonstrate their talent and improve their national rankings, while strengthening their prospects of representing India at international tournaments and world championships.

The championship has brought together approximately 500 junior badminton players representing 33 teams from 28 States and five Union Territories, accompanied by coaches, parents, officials and delegates from State badminton associations and the Badminton Association of India (BAI). The event is expected to witness participation from over 600 individuals.

Sikkim has fielded a 16-member contingent.

The zonal team championship commenced today, while the Under-19 individual championship is scheduled to begin on November 16, with the finals slated for November 21.

On Day One, a dozen matches were played for the zonal team category featuring singles and doubles in both girls’ and boys’ categories.

Team Sikkim consisting of Aansh Dhamala and Hingmon Limboo lost in two straight sets against Uttarakhand in the boys’ doubles event. Similarly, H. Dolma Lachenpa and Biswanjali Subba from Sikkim were defeated by Uttarkahand in two straight sets by Uttarakhand in the girls’ doubles category.

Aansh Dhamala from Sikkim gave a strong fight against Nischal Chand of Uttarkahand but lost in two straight sets in the boys’ single event.

Similarly, Uttarakhand’s Lavanya Karki defeated Biswanjali Subba of Sikkim in the girls’ single event.

(With IPR inputs)