Jaipur: Rajasthan will host two national-level badminton tournaments this season. For the fourth year in succession the All India Sub-Junior (U-15 and U-17) Ranking Badminton tournament will be held in Jaipur. In addition to that, the state will also conduct the prestigious North Zone Inter-State Badminton Championship.The Rajasthan Badminton Association (RBA) has announced the official calendar for state-level and national competitions for the 2026-27 season. This year, players will have a great opportunity to showcase their talent in various cities across the state.The city will host the Yonex-Sunrise All India Sub-Junior Ranking (U-15 and U-17) from October 3 to 11 at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium, while the North Zone Championship will be held from September 3 to 10.According to RBA secretary KK Sharma, the season will begin with the Rajasthan State Ranking Badminton tournament (men, women, and Under-19) in Jaipur from July 20 to 26. Based on this, the state team will be selected to participate in the North Zone Championship.The U-15 tourney will be held at the DRM Academy in Jaipur from August 26 to 30. The U-17 competition will be played in Udaipur from September 23 to 27. Competitions for younger players in the Under-11 and Under-13 categories will be held in Chittorgarh from October 21 to 25.Junior and Senior Events: The Under-19 Inter District Championship will be held from September 16 to 21 at Blooming Dales International School, Sriganganagar, while the Senior State Championship will be held from November 24 to 30 in Bikaner.Masters Event: The season will conclude with the Masters Championship, to be held in Kota from February 10-14, 2027. The Rajasthan Badminton Association aims to select promising players from the state through these competitions and prepare them for the national level. All players have been advised to begin preparations according to their age group.National TournamentSecretary of Rajasthan Badminton Association, KK Sharma informed that as per the decision taken in the general body meeting of Rajasthan Badminton Association held on March 1 in Alwar, Rajasthan Badminton Association will give Rs 1 lakh to the district associations for organising national level competitions in those districts of Rajasthan.In the competitions, the prize money for players of Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, Under-17, Under-19 and senior categories has been increased to Rs 1 lakh from Rs 50,000 per tournament.For the first time, the State Association has allocated T-shirts to the players selected in the Masters Badminton Championship who will participate in the national competition. The State Association has also formed a three-member committee to amend the constitution and has been given the authority to amend the constitution and register it.After discussions regarding the new districts, the State Association Secretary was authorized to completely reorganize the new districts. For the first time, the State Association has allotted two state competitions to the Jaipur District Association. In all the competitions, the travel and daily allowance of the technical officials of Rajasthan will be given as per the Badminton Association of India and the State Association has prepared a code of conduct for the players which will be issued soon. As per the Badminton Association of India, the entry fee for the competition has been fixed at Rs 1000 for singles and Rs 2000 for doubles.Players who win gold medals in the national competition will be given Rs 31 thousand, players who win silver medal will be given Rs 21 thousand and players who win bronze medal will be given Rs 11 thousand by the Rajasthan Badminton Association.In the general meeting, gratitude was also expressed to the President of the State Badminton Association and Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.The state association conducted the State Umpire and Match Control exams in Alwar. Thirty-one competitors participated in the exam. The exam was conducted by Vinay Joshi (Assessor), a national referee and international line judge from Pune.
