Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Goa will be host of the Yonex Sunrise 47th Indian Masters (Veteran) National Badminton Championship 2025, set to take place from March 16 to 23, at Peddem Indoor Stadium, Mapusa.
This tournament serves as the selection event for the BWF World Seniors Championship, attracting over 2,200 players and 2,700 entries across 45 events, ranging from the 35+ to 75+ age groups.
The championship will feature former Indian national and international badminton stars, such as Leroy D’Sa, Abhin Shyam Gupta, Joy Anthony, Nikhil Kanitkar, Vijay Lancy, S Banu and many more, ensuring a fiercely competitive tournament.
The details were announced at a press conference held at a city hotel, here.
Addressing the mediapersons, Chief Patron of the Goa Badminton Association (GBA) Shrinivas Dempo, highlighted the far-reaching impact of hosting such a prestigious national event in Goa.
Reflecting on his company’s long-standing commitment to sports, Dempo spoke about Dempo Group’s Goodwill Ambassador Scheme, which nurtures young Goan talent.
He congratulated Aarush Pawaskar, a Dempo-supported athlete, for winning a silver medal at the France International Open in Sub-Juniors and reiterated his commitment to supporting emerging Goan athletes.
He also lauded the Goa Badminton Association for completing 60 years of excellence and expressed confidence that this year’s initiatives would have a lasting impact on badminton in the state.
Goa Badminton Association President Manoj Patil took the opportunity to celebrate Goa’s rich badminton legacy, recalling icons like late Rasik Painguinkar, Michael D’Sa, Ashutosh and Leena Pednekar, as well as modern-day stars like Anura Prabhu Desai and Anushka Kuvelkar, former India’s No.1 players and Tanisha Crasto, who represented India at the Paris Olympics.
He also recognised rising Goan talents Arjun Fallary, Lydia Barreto and Aarush Pawaskar, all of whom have represented India internationally.
To mark the 60th Anniversary of the GBA, Patil announced a series of seven key initiatives designed to further develop and promote badminton in Goa. These include the launch of a Grassroots Badminton Programme, ensuring structured training opportunities in every taluka of Goa, and the hosting of two All India Ranking Tournaments for the Sub-Junior (U-15 & U-17) and Mini (U-13) categories, which are expected to attract around 3,000 young players from across the country.
Other initiatives include a Technical Officials’ Workshop to train more referees and umpires, a Talent Identification Programme to support young rising prospects, and a School Outreach Programme aimed at introducing badminton at the grassroots level.
Additionally, a Corporate Badminton Tournament will be organized to engage Goa’s business community, and a Grand Badminton Convention will bring together past and present players to celebrate Goa’s badminton journey.