Badminton is one of the most popular sports among the Indian community in New Zealand, as evident by the success of the Autumn Doubles Open Tournament held by the Rolleston Badminton Club.
At least 80 players representing several social and sports clubs from different ethnic communities squared off during the competition at Selwyn Sports Centre on April 1, 2023.
The tournament was open to amateur and professional players, and was played across five divisions on eight courts and featured 100 matches with 216 games.
Women players in the tournament were allowed to challenge men and compete with them, making it an inclusive event for all participants. The tournament was sponsored by Classic Builders along with other local businesses, including Indian Paradise, Eco Travels, and Protech Sports.
The winners of the tournament in each division were:
Division 1
Gold – Ribu Dhakal & Sam Loan
Silver – Warwick Werder & Anil Cheriyakudy Kunjappan
Bronze – Ajay Vignesh & Shubrata Mittu
Division 2
Gold – Scott Chen & Josh Zhao
Silver – CK Chiong & Raymond Too
Bronze – Qing Hao Goh & Anil Kumar Kesuboyina
Division 3
Gold – Ivan Thean & Chun Fei Chin
Silver – Jaslie Cheah and Daniel Cheng
Bronze – Don Gallage & Jayjay Jung
Division 4
Gold – Naresh Annam & Jeet Gadhavi
Silver – Jace Hsu and Jane Wang
Bronze – Min Jin and April Wang
Division 5
Gold – Franco Estiller & Sharmine Vinzon
Silver – Tanmayi Pagadala & Navneeth Raja
Bronze – Linda Sparks & Mike Sparks
The tournament had the services of BNZ-accredited umpires. Preetham Pagadala, the tournament organiser, expressed delight over the turnout and the event’s success.
“We have pushed the limits of traditional knockout-based tournaments. The players were provided with more opportunities to play with a wide variety of teams, which everyone liked. It wasn’t easy to organise 100 matches (all best of 3 games) in 8 hours,” he told The Indian Weekender.
Pagadala said the club is looking forward to organising similar events for the community in the near future. Participants and the community appreciated the tournament for showcasing the popularity of badminton among the Indian community. They congratulated the club for hosting an inclusive and well-organised event with participation from players of all backgrounds.
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