Kalahandi, YNN (Rajat Bansal): The Pawan Agrawal Memorial 5th Kalahandi District Badminton Championship was inaugurated at the Biju Patnaik Indoor Stadium in Bhawanipatna by the Kalahandi Badminton Association, with support from the district administration. ADM Tanmay Darwan served as the Chief Guest, while District Sports Officer Ramesh Chandra Padhy and several other dignitaries, including Association Secretary Sandeep Mishra, State Badminton COC Vice President Manoranjan Das, Senior Vice President Arun Rath, Vice President Sameer Sahu, and Pranatee Agrawal, were in attendance. The meeting was moderated by Shivashish Bishi.
The event began with a ceremonial lamp lighting and the laying of garlands at the photograph of the late Pawan Agrawal. The guests were welcomed with flower bouquets presented by young players. In his welcome speech, the President highlighted the need for an international indoor facility and coaching academy in Kalahandi to further develop the sport of badminton. The Chief Guest encouraged the players and promised to provide necessary facilities and opportunities.
A total of 161 contestants from various blocks of Kalahandi participated in the two-day competition. Senior member Mahesh Kukreja was tasked with organizing the event on behalf of the association, while experienced state-recognized umpire Sameer Sahu managed the competition. Deepak Sagar took on the role of competition manager, with assistance from Rakesh Bemal, Jitendra Mishra, Anish Hasda, Suman Panigarahi, Jay Prakash Jena, and PETs from various schools in Kalahandi district.
Key contributors to the event included Saroj Maharana, Paresh Pradhan, Saikumar Singh Samanta, Rabi Sahu, Shakti Joshi, Sandeep Das, Ashok Pati, Hemant Mishra, Manikeshwari Mahapatra, Basant Dora, Sunil Agrawal, Ranjit Sahu, Kamal Agrawal, Chaturbhuja Naik, and Manish Das.
