Big time badminton returns to the city after a considerable gap. The stage is all set for the commencement of the All India Public Sector badminton tournament 2011-12, slated to be held at the sprawling Kotla Vijay Bhaskar Reddy Indoor Stadium from March 21- 25. With the country’s celebrated internationals lined up for the extravaganza, the stadium will come alive and reverberate to shrieks, sounds and applauses, all over again. With the country’s top men and women shuttlers belonging to major PSUs, it will be an action-packed five days. The event is being organised by Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC).
The first two days of the tournament will see players vying for team championship while the remaining three days will have competitions in the open category, for both singles and doubles. The participating teams include ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation, Airports Authority of India, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, Central Warehouse Corporation, Air India, Food Corporation of India, New India Assurance Co Ltd, Reserve Bank of India, Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd and Coal India Ltd.
The tournament will be of particular importance for host team, ONGC as it is the defending champion in the men category. This time also it is expected to begin on a firm footing, despite several other contenders having talented players in their ranks. The FCI finished runner up in the previous edition. Meanwhile, the reigning women team champion, Airport Authority of India will have the marginal edge because it boasts of champion performers, including the brightest spark on the firmament, P V Sindhu. UNI