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| L-R- Ms Kreeanne Rabbadi, RD- West CRY, World’s Number 1 Para Badminton champion Mr B Anand Kumar, Mr. Tarun Chugh, MD & CEO, PNB MetLife India and Mr Ashish Kumar, Director, Sara Foundation at the launch of PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship 2015 in Mumbai. |
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Biggest talent hunt for the
future badminton star of India
·
24 winners to get
scholarships to the top badminton academies
·
CSR programme launched to award
full scholarships to talented underprivileged children
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PNB MetLife seeks to
popularize badminton through tournaments in more than 1000 Housing societies / RWAs
and Corporates across the country
Mumbai, February 4: PNB MetLife India, one of
India’s leading life insurance companies, today announced the launch of the “PNB
MetLife Junior Badminton Championship” in association with Sara Foundation,approved
by Badminton Association of India (BAI)and supported by the Badminton World
Federation (BWF). The objective of ‘PNB MetLife Junior Badminton Championship’
is to identify the future badminton star of India through a mass activation
among school children in the age-group of 9-15 years. The zonal tournaments
will be held in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore in the months of February and
March 2015. The zonal winners will compete against each other in a grand finale
in Delhi. Eight children across different age-groups will win scholarships for
training in a reputed Badminton Academy. In addition, the company is conducting
mass tournaments at housing societies and corporates to promote badminton at
grassroot level.
With an intention to
provide an opportunity to talented children from the underprivileged community,
PNB MetLife has joined hands with Child Rights & You (CRY). The children
identified by CRY and their activation partner Sara Foundation will compete to
win the coveted Junior Badminton Championship trophy and a full scholarship to
a top badminton academy in their home city. The 16 zonal winners will also be
invited to Delhi to watch the ‘MetLife BWF Superseries’ and play friendly
matches with the stars and other children.
PNB MetLife is also supported by MetLife Foundation in this endeavour.
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Tarun Chugh, MD & CEO, PNB MetLife
Insurance said, “India has seen an unprecedented resurgence for badminton
in last couple of years, courtesy the recent wins by India’s ace shuttlers.
This has given the sport a shot in the arm and has elevated its appeal, cutting
across all age-groups and across different strata. The diversity that badminton
is able to bring in the sport resonates deeply with our brand values. Through
the ‘PNB MetLife Junior Badminton
Championship’, we seek to provide a pan India platform to children across
different strata’s to chase their dreams and have an equal opportunity of being
the future of Indian badminton.”
Mr. Chugh further said, “Through
MetLife’s global partnership with Badminton World Federation (BWF), we have the
opportunity to bring the sport back to its status as a fun, family sport. We are
working with Housing societies/ RWAs and Corporates to conduct the badminton
tournaments, giving people an opportunity to engage with friends and families in
a competitive yet fun environment.”
Speaking on the occasion, World’s Number 1 Para Badminton champion Mr
B Anand Kumar,said, “Despite being a popular sport, it is still a struggle
for badminton players to get access to the right training and sponsorships to
play the tournaments. I started my journey when I was 19 years of age and
struggled to get recognized. I am delighted to see that corporates like PNB
MetLife have come forward and support badminton and promote talent at a young
age.”
Mr Ashish Kumar, Director,
Sara Foundation said, “Badminton is a popular sport but it definitely needs a lot of
support to become as popular as cricket or football in India. Being a family
sport which sees equal participation from mostly all family members, there is a
lot of hidden talent out there. With PNB MetLife’s support we hope to unearth
the talent and build a strong base of the future badminton stars of India. Sara
Foundation’s objective is to promote sports and we are very excited to be part
of this journey with PNB MetLife.”
“At CRY we
believe that sports not only promotes development and well-being of children
but also provides space for children from various sections of society
irrespective of their caste, class, gender, language and place of residence to
come together, engage and communicate with each other. In some of the urban
pockets we work in, we have often seen that what stands between children and
their dreams is ‘lack of opportunity’- opportunity that can help bring lasting
change in the lives of children. I am sure that this support by PNB MetLife will
definitely help children from our intervention areas to learn from some of the
greatest badminton players, become champions of the game and realise their
dreams” said Ms Kreeanne Rabbadi,
Regional Director- West, CRY- Child Rights and You.
Additional information to participate
To participate in PNB
MetLife Junior Badminton Championship, entries may be submitted at: www.mycity4kids.com/juniorbadmintonchampionshipor www.playforhappiness.in. For more details call
9560247153, 9810889162, 9599403912.
As an initiative to drive
awareness around Badminton locally, PNB MetLife will also be engaging with over
1,000 Housing Societies/ RWAs in key metros in partnership with The Times of
India. Families can participate and ‘Play for Happiness’, with winners getting
crowned as the ‘Housing Society Champions’ and also get a chance to meet and
interact with the BWF stars at the grand finale. For more information &
registration one can visit www.playforhappiness.in
About PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Limited
PNB MetLife India Insurance Company Limited (PNB MetLife) is a
joint venture between MetLife International Holdings Inc. (MIHI), Punjab
National Bank Limited (PNB), Jammu & Kashmir Bank Limited (JKB), M.
Pallonji and Company Private Limited and other private investors, with MIHI and
PNB being the majority shareholders. PNB MetLife was previously known as
MetLife India Insurance Company Limited and has been present in India since
2001.
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