Badminton News: Rajasthan will host two All India Ranking badminton tournaments this season, according to the latest annual schedule released by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Saturday.

The national sports body has again awarded the Rajasthan Badminton Association (RBA) two All India ranking tournaments this year 2023-24. This was confirmed by RBA Secretary KK Sharma during an interview with TOI here on Saturday.

“This year we again have the responsibility of hosting two important All India Ranking tournaments. The BAI annual calendar makes no mention of a venue, but the RBA has determined a host district. The senior tournament will be held in Jodhpur, while the junior tournament will be played in Udaipur,” said Sharma.

Last season, Jaipur hosted the All India Sub-Junior Under-15 and Under-17 Tournaments at the SMS Stadium, Jaipur, while the Veterans Tournament was held in Udaipur. This season, Jaipur will not host any national level matches.

“As Secretary of State, we have to promote badminton in all corners of the state. There was a huge demand from Jodhpur district to hold a big tournament this season so we gave them an All India tournament Senior Ranking. Udaipur also has a good badminton infrastructure, and they will be the master host of the U-19 All India Junior Tournament,” said Sharma, who is one of BAI’s most senior officials.

The All India Junior tournament will be held from November 4-10 in Udaipur, while the senior matches will be played from January 22-28, 2024 in Jodhpur.

Sharma, who is the chairperson of the BAI Age Fraud Committee, also hinted that the RBA will soon announce the state timetable.

“We have been waiting for BAI to announce their annual schedule. Now that it is out, we will now prepare to hold state tournaments in different categories,” added Sharma.

Article Tags: bay, rajasthan, indian national championship 2023