KOCHI: Five players from the state have been selected to the Indian junior badminton team for the Asian Badminton Confederation's junior championships under various agegroups.
Prannoy H S, P C Thulasi and Megha Merin Ninan have been picked in the under-19 team while Arun George and Arathi Sara Sunil figure in the under-16 team. The national sides were selected considering the performances in the three national junior ranking tournaments held at Chennai, Kochi and Bangalore. Prannoy and Thulasi have been selected for singles while Megha finds a place for her consistency in mixed doubles. Arathi and Arun have been picked for singles and doubles respectively.
Prannoy, Thulasi and Arathi are cuurently attending the national camp in Panchkula for the under-19 team. Though Arathi is not a member of the 14-member Indian team, she has been included in the camp as a promising player.
The under-16 camp will be held at the Regional Sports Centre in Kochi next month. First-timers in the national team, Megha, Arathi and Arun are products of the RSC.
Int’l Olympic Day observed
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Olympic Association together with the Sports Directorate observed the International Olympic Day with a mass run here on Tuesday.
Around 5000 students along with people from all walks of life took part in the run.
"The purpose of the event was to spread awareness on the importance of the Olympic spirit. This year's event was special as Kerala is preparing to host the 35th National Games,'' said Kerala Sports Council president T P Dasan. Sports Miister M Vijayakumar flagged off the run in the function attended by Olympians Suresh Babu and K M Beenamol.