VIJAYAWADA: The week-long Yonex-Sunrise 78th National Inter-State and 87th National Senior Badminton Championships commenced at the Chennupati Ramakotaiah Indoor Stadium on Monday under the aegis of the Andhra Pradesh Badminton Association.
The championships, being held from December 22 to 28, were inaugurated by Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath along with Vijayawada East MLA Gadde Rammohan Rao.
Swachh Andhra Corporation Chairman Kommareddy Pattabhiram, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) Chairman Animini Ravi Naidu and star shuttler PV Sindhu were among those present.
After the inauguration, the dignitaries interacted with players from various states and extended their best wishes. Addressing the gathering, MP Kesineni Sivanath said a sports university would be established in Andhra Pradesh as part of the vision to transform the State into ‘Kreeda Andhra Pradesh’. He said continuous efforts were being made under SAAP to host major sporting events in the state and expressed hope that the National Games would also be brought to Andhra Pradesh..
MLA Gadde Rammohan Rao said hosting the championships in Vijayawada, part of the Amaravati capital region, had added vibrancy to the city. SAAP Chairman Animini Ravi Naidu said the state was hosting the Senior Badminton Championships after a gap of ten years.
He said Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has been giving special focus to badminton and accused the previous government of neglecting sports. After the NDA coalition came to power, he said, a comprehensive sports policy has been implemented.
SAAP Managing Director S Bharani, Andhra Pradesh Badminton Association President M. Dwarakanath, Secretary Dr P Ankamma Choudary, former Mayor Koneru Sridhar, SAAP Director Santosh Kumar and members of the state badminton association were among those present