Top 10 badminton players to participate in FNCC-Pullela Gopichand Badminton League

The FNCC-Pullela Gopichand Badminton League will kick off at the Film Nagar Cultural Center, Hyderabad, on April 4. The league will be held over the next four to five weeks on weekends (Saturday and Sunday). The top 10 men and women badminton players from across the country are set to participate in this league.

“With the initiative of Telangana Badminton Association (TBA) vice president V Chamundeswaranath and FNCC badminton committee chairman Purushottam, we are launching the FNCC-Pullela Gopichand Badminton League. The matches will be held on April 4 and 5 and will continue for the next four to five weeks on weekends. This league is part of our effort to encourage sports like badminton alongside cricket and to guide the youth toward all kinds of sports. We will have teams representing the President, Vice President, and Secretary of FNCC. From now on, we plan to organize annual competitions in tennis, badminton, and pickleball at FNCC, said FNCC president KS Rama Rao.

“Discussions regarding this tournament have been ongoing for the past two or three months. With the initiative of Chamundeswaranath and the support of our president and other executive members, we are conducting the FNCC-Pullela Gopichand Badminton Tournament. We will provide our full cooperation for any program undertaken by our president,” said FNCC secretary Tummala Rangarao.

“Pullela Gopichand was supposed to be here today, but he said he would attend tomorrow’s program. It has been four to five years since a tournament was held at FNCC. Therefore, based on the suggestions of our members, we decided to first conduct a club tournament, followed by an inter-club tournament, and eventually a National-level tournament. My thanks to our president, secretary, and Chamundeswaranath for their support in organizing this event,” said FNCC badminton committee chairman Purushhottam.

“The FNCC executive body is always at the forefront of encouraging sports. In the past, we have conducted National tennis and badminton tournaments here. Now, we are starting the Pullela Gopichand-FNCC League. The top 10 men and women players nationwide will participate. Any team participating, including Purushottam’s, must pay ₹10 lakh each. This amount will be used to provide prize money for the tournament winners,” said Chamundeswaranath.

Film Nagar Society secretary and FNCC committee member Kaja Suryanarayana said: “Our president K S Rama Rao has proven that FNCC is not just a club, but a venue for many cultural events. We have a sports complex that is better than any other club. After Chamundeswaranath arrived, the look and feel of our sports complex completely changed. He has brought many famous sportspersons from across the country to our center. I wish this tournament to be a great success.”

“There are many clubs in the country, but only FNCC organizes so many sporting events. Since Chamundeswaranath joined us, he has brought stars like Sania Mirza, Leander Paes, and Pullela Gopichand to this venue,” said FNCC member Somaraju.

The event was attended by FNCC vice president S N Reddy, treasurer Shailaja Jujala, committee members Venu and Edida Raja, and committee member & sports committee convener Koganti Bhavani, among others.