The winners pose for a group photo.

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 12: The 11th edition of the Inter-School Badminton Tournament, hosted by the Indian Badminton Association of Kuwait (IBAK), concluded with a remarkable victory for Bhavans School, who were crowned overall champions.

The event, held at the IBAK Gym in Salwa on December 5th and 6th, 2024, saw fierce competition from over 300 players representing more than 40 schools. FAIPS DPS claimed the runner-up position in this highly competitive tournament.

Bhavans School’s exceptional performance across multiple categories, including Under-11, Under-13, and Under-17 singles and doubles, secured them the coveted overall championship trophy.

FAIPS DPS displayed great teamwork and skill to finish as the runners-up, while ILOA rounded out the top three as second runners-up.

Many children also participated in the “OPEN” category, as there was no official representation from their schools, adding to the event’s inclusivity and spirit.

The championship trophy was presented to the victorious Bhavans students in the presence of enthusiastic badminton supporters in Kuwait. All winners, runners-up, and semifinalists received medals and certificates to honor their outstanding achievements. Special recognition was given to the Most Promising Players, celebrating not just skill but also the positive spirit demonstrated by all participants.

Dr. Manimara Chozhan, Chairman of IBAK, remarked, “The 11th edition of the Inter-School Badminton Tournament has been a tremendous success. The level of competition continues to rise each year, and it’s inspiring to see so many talented players taking part. We are proud to support these young athletes and look forward to nurturing future badminton stars.”

IBAK remains committed to fostering badminton’s growth at the grassroots level, providing young players with opportunities to showcase and develop their skills in a competitive setting. Through events like this tournament, IBAK continues to encourage youth participation and contribute to the development of the next generation of badminton champions.

The following are the winners, runners up and semifinalists.

Under 17 Girls Doubles -- Winner: Kenil Saira Ann & Vagvala Shruti; runner-up: Biju Neha Susan & Murugaiyan Sumitra; semifinalists Sachin Kandahar Esha & Sam Sifenshika Sam and Maria Sibi Joan & Samit Shriya

Under 17 Boys Doubles -- Winner: Varghese Bobby Edwin & Singh Kushalveer; runner-up: Patil Aayush & Mewada Kinshuk; semifinalists: Wankhade Harsh & Sreejith K Sidharth and Mathews Basil & Jacob Ethan

Under 17 Girls Singles -- Winner: Neha Susan Biju; runner-up: Vagvala Shruti; semifinalists: Kenil Saira Ann and Nithyanand Arundhati

Under 17 Boys Singles -- Winner: Varun Siva Sajith; runner-up: Edwin Bobby Varghese; semifinalists: Wankhade Harsh and Allen Roland

Under 15 Girls Doubles -- Winner: Nithyanand Arundhati & James Olivia; runner-ups: Tony Angela & Kaur Avneet; semifinalists: Qiyas Palekar Aamina & Chouhan Avni and Angel Subin & Shaik Zoya          

Under 15 Boys Doubles -- Winner: Sumesh Addison & Sajith Siva Varun Siva; runner-up: Santhosh Alan & James Chris; Semi-Finalist: Sajeev P Abijith & Sajeev P Abinav and Anilkumar Aadithya & Jayaraj Hariharan

Under 15 Girls Singles -- Winner: Kaur Avneet; runner-up: Tony Angela; semifinalists: Shruthi Sanjana and Samit Shriya

Under 15 Boys Singles -- Winner: Sumesh Addison; runner-up: Santhosh Alan

semifinalists: Anilkumar Aadithya and Sreejith K Sidharth

Under 13 Girls Doubles -- Winner: Bananki Ashray Lipi Gowda & Althara Mariyam Nouril; runner-up: Pawar Harish Anika & Suresh Nair Nivedya; semifinalists: Dilipkumar Gami Bhavya & Ashish Chaudhari Ruth and Bhavani Tadepalli Isha & Shetty Samyuktha

Under 13 Boys Doubles -- Winner: Titto Liyan Fen & Antony Lobo Ranston; runner-up: Amitkumar Motaval Aksh & Sachin Kangralkar Vivaan; semifinalists: Rajaguru Shravan Guru & Murugaiyan Sujith and Frankduf Aiden Stalin & Shobith Siddarth

Under 13 Girls Singles -- Winner: James Olivia; runner-up: Angel Subin; semifinalists: Dilipkumar Gami Bhavya and Althara Mariyam Nouril

Under 13 Boys Singles -- Winner: Titto Liyan Fen; runner-up: Sajeev P Abinav; semifinalists:  Antony Lobo Ranston and Rajaguru Shravan Guru

Under 11 Girls Doubles -- Winner: Jose Gianna & Kaur Keerat; runner-up: Santhosham Divinishiya Ruble & Sajith Sruti Siva; semifinalists: Maria Christy & Alice Maria and Ridika Renjith & Renjith Riddi

Under 11 Boys Doubles -- Winner: Santhosh Divine & Sanu Thammaiah Uday; runner-up: Muhammed Ayaan & Visakh Nair Dhyaan; semifinalists: Titto Leyon Ben & Muhammed Nahyan and Santhosh Aaron & Mohamed Ismail Musa

Under 11 Girls Singles -- Winner: Jose Gianna; runner-up: Sajith Sruti Siva; semifinalists: Kaur Keerat and Santhosham Divinishiya Ruble

Under 11 Boys Singles -- Winner: Visakh Nair Dhyaan; runner-up: Vinoy Mathew Chris;

semifinalists: Muhammed Ayaan and Sanu Thammaiah Uday

Under 9 Singles ( Boys & Girls Combined) -- Winner: Mohamed Ismail Musa; runner-up: Titto Leyon Ben; semifinalists: Praseesh Aayush and K Sri Sai Vee

IBAK can be reached at www.ibakwt.org or [email protected]

By Paulo Francisco X. Fernandes

Arab Times/Al-Seyassah Staff