Patna: The 30th Bihar State Sub-Junior Ball Badminton Championship commenced today at Radhakrishna Mandir, Gulabbag, Barh (Patna), under the auspices of the Bihar Ball Badminton Association and organised by the Barh Ball Badminton Association. In the opening match of the boys’ category, Kilkari triumphed over Begusarai with scores of 35-30, 35-32. In the first girls’ category match, Siwan secured victory against Kilkari, winning 35-31, 35-29. Outstanding performances in the boys’ match came from Kilkari’s captain Gaurav, Saurav, Raunak, and Aniket, while Begusarai’s Lalan, Ankit, and Manish played well. In the girls’ match, Siwan’s Kajal, Anju, and Shivani excelled, along with Divya, Muskan, and Khushi from Kilkari.

The three-day championship was formally inaugurated by Bihar Sports Minister Surendra Mehta, who lit the ceremonial lamp, broke a coconut, and greeted the players. In his address, the minister pledged support to promote ball badminton across the state and assured that all necessary facilities would be provided for the players. He expressed his pleasure at the Ball Badminton Association’s adherence to its annual sports calendar in organising state-level competitions. He also announced that the state government will acquire land to build playgrounds in every panchayat, fostering the development of sports from the grassroots level.

Special guests included Anamika Paswan, Secretary of Bhavya Institute of Nursing, and Gouri Shankar, Secretary of the Bihar Ball Badminton Association. The event was presided over by the National President of Lohia Janata Dal, Karnaveer Singh Yadav, also known as Lallu Mukhiya. Satish Kumar, Secretary of the Barh Ball Badminton Association, welcomed the guests, and the vote of thanks was delivered by Rakesh Ranjan, Joint Secretary of the State Association.