The coastal city of Kochi is all set to host the BWF World Senior Badminton Championships from September 11 to 17.
The week-long tournament will see a total of 665 players from 40 countries battle it out in eight different age groups – plus-35, plus- 40, plus-45, plus-50, plus-55, plus-60, plus-65 and plus-70 and will be played in all the five categories, according to a release from Badminton Association of India.
A total of 175 players will represent India including Olympians – Abhinn Shyam Gupta, Nikhil Kanetkar and V Diju – along with three times Asian Games team bronze medallist Partho Ganguly and 1982 Asian Games bronze medallist Leroy D’sa.
The Indian contingent will also have Arjuna awardee and Kerala player George Thomas and Commonwealth medallist and former India doubles players Sanave Thomas and Roopesh Kumar.
The championship is being held in India for the first time.
The President of BAI Himanta Biswa Sarma said he is thrilled to host another BWF tournament and feels that augurs well for the Indian badminton.
“We have in the past hosted many big tournaments and hosting this tournament is yet again a prime example of how Indian badminton is growing in stature globally,” Dr. Sarma said.