WITHIN three weeks from now, the Orange City will be hosting its maiden international badminton tournament when the six-day India Maharashtra International Challenge meet gets under way on September 13-18.

Divisional Sports Complex at Mankapur, that played host to Nagpur’s first-ever National Championship in 2017, will be the venue. It will be a litmus test for hosts Nagpur District Badminton Association and city’s administration to prove that the decision of parent bodies Maharashtra Badminton Association and Badminton Association of India to grant them hosting rights was correct.

City administration and NDBA officials are trying their best to make it a badminton festival in the city.

Dr Vipin Itankar, who very recently took over as Nagpur Collector, paid a courtesy visit to the stadium and was satisfied with the existing facilities but wanted improvement in every aspect.

“Dr Itankar visited the venue today to inspect the facilities at the stadium. Though he was satisfied with the overall existing infra at the venue, he wanted improvement in every aspect to make the event a huge success. Lighting ad flooring are the two main aspects and we are sure of taking care of both the things well before start of the tournament. We will also make sure that the stadium is leak proof and the air conditioners are in order,” said Mangesh Kashikar, Secretary, NDBA while talking to ‘The Hitavada’ on Wednesday.

“I found Dr Itankar to be an action-oriented person. The administration needs such type of dynamic persons who take quick decision and ensure that those are implemented. Besides the infrastructure, he also showed keen interest in the sport. Arun Lakhani Sir, President, MBA and Treasurer BAI is also in regular touch and we all want the event to be a huge success,” Kashikar added.

Coming to the tournament proper, Kashikar said, “We have confirmed about two hundred entries as of now and 80 of those are from abroad. It will be a visual treat for city’s badminton lovers in general and young players in particular who will get to see some top world players in action. Children definitely learn from seeing good matches live and from close quarters,” said Kashikar, who was a good player too.

Only those players who have world rankings are eligible to take part in the international event. In all probability, city might witness its top players Malvika Bansod, Mugdha Agrey, Ritika Thaker, Rasika Raje, Simran Singhi and Sourabh Kerhalkar in action.