HYDERABAD:
PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Limited (“PNB MetLife”), among the top 10 private life insurance companies in India (fiscal 2019), today launched Junior Badminton Championship (JBC)-5 along with the virtual tutorial program – JBC Boot Camp.
The two were launched in the presence of brand ambassador and badminton ace, P.V. Sindhu, and former badminton national champion and coach, U. Vimal Kumar. The badminton duo along with AshishKumar Srivastava, Managing Director and CEO, PNB MetLife unveiled the JBC `Boot Camp,’a customized YouTube channel to aide budding badminton players.
This year PNB MetLife has taken efforts to bring Badminton into mainstream sports, a notch higher. To help aspiring badminton players grow and enhance their skills further, PNB MetLifethrough JBC Boot Camp will provide tips and tricks,to excel in the game. The tutorial videos will cover three levels: Basic, Intermediate and Advance. The curriculum of the same will comprise of topics such as rules of the game, court measurements, different serves, swings, movements and smashes, fitness to name a few.
The viewers will get an opportunity to be guided by ace badminton players and veterans such as P.V. Sindhu, U. Vimal Kumar, Vijay Lancy andAnup Sridhar through the videos. This virtual tutorial will enable young badminton players to connect with the master coaches virtually from any part of the country without any financial cost attached. The Tutorials can be viewed on YouTube/PNB MetLife JBC Boot Camp.
PNB MetLife JBC, an initiative recognized by the Badminton Association of India (BAI), aims to take Badminton to the grassroots by nurturing players and the right talent at an amateur level. The fifth edition of this tournament will be played across 10 cities in India. With a vision to propagate a healthy lifestyle in today’s younger generation, this tournament is open to Children in the age group of 5-17 years, which has been divided in under 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 years categories.
Ashish Kumar Srivastava, Managing Director and CEO, PNB MetLife said, “Badminton is the second most played sport in India and there is a huge amount of talent in the country who can excel in this field if provided with proper coaching and facilities. We are happy to have supported many such young aspirants over last four years through our Junior Badminton Championships. The fifth edition of the tournament is a testimony of such continued endeavour. This coupled with the JBC Boot Camp, is expected to benefit many young players who are keen on learning the fine techniques of the game.”
The previous years’championships have enjoyed a hearty response and positive feedback from participants. JBC- 4 alone was able to reach a total of 8000+ budding badminton enthusiasts from across the Country. With the endorsement from its stakeholders and badminton giants such as Saina Nehwal, Ashwini Ponnappa, Dinesh Khanna, and Prakash Padukone in the past, and now with the brand Ambassador P.V. Sindhu and national champion U. Vimal Kumar, JBC 5 this year this year’s championship has also witnessed an exponential rise in
participation with entries flowing in from all parts of the Country.
Badminton ace, P.V. Sindhu said, “Due to the recent wins and accolades that this sport has achieved, it has become a household name. However, a lot needs to be done in terms of bringing more talented shuttlers to the forefront. Hence a push from the grassroots level is of utmost importance today. The biggest hindrance new- entrants face while getting into this sport face, is the lack of proper training and guidance. With JBC Boot Camp, young badminton aspirants can get proper training and guidance from the legends of the sport. I am extremely happy to be associated with PNB MetLife for curating a holistic ecosystem for talented shuttlers thereby encouraging them to take up badminton as a professional sport. The rising popularity of badminton is a testimony that this country has no dearth of talent.”
In its efforts to reach the right target audience, JBC as a project assumes further significance given its association with CRY (Child Rights and You). Over the past four years as a part of its CSR initiative, PNB MetLife has been providing annual scholarships to the underprivileged children across India for coaching and training. During the past four years, PNB MetLife has awarded annual scholarships to 56 underprivileged children and have provided training to 375 underprivileged children across India. This year already 100 underprivileged children have been trained for the upcoming JBC out of which 32 children will be awarded an annual scholarship to pursue Badminton as a sport.
Nipun Kaushal, Chief Marketing Officer, PNB MetLife said, “JBC as a tournament has undoubtedly become one of the biggest annual national open-platforms for young badminton enthusiasts. JBC has also acted as an effective medium of empowerment for children talented in this sport however lacking the means to pursue it further. The competition helps in nurturing the right talent at an amateur level, thereby fostering their growth and ability to perform on a global scale.”
The registration for JBC can be done online through a dedicated registration link, which is also accessible through more than 200 micro-communities and 6,000 mum bloggers. Participants can also call on the toll-free number (+919172530523) to facilitate the registration process. Additionally, schools, sports academies and badminton associations will also be involved in the registration process, to invite participation from all parts of India.
