Nepal Badminton Association is set to organise the Nepal International Challenge badminton championships from October 13-17 at the Dashrath Stadium’s covered hall in Kathmandu. It will be the first international challenge hosted by Nepal.

Shuttlers who are set to represent Nepal at the upcoming South Asian Games in Kathmandu and Pokhara from December 1 to 10 will feature in the event. Prior to this, Nepal had only organised International Series, the seventh tier internationally recognised event while the Challenge is the sixth tier competition.

Nepal Badminton Association President Ramji Bahadur Shrestha said, “The tournament is much tougher than the Series and therefore is considered better as well. As top players from other nations will be contesting in the Challenge, it will be a great platform and learning opportunity for our shuttlers. We even expect Nepali shuttlers to win some medals at the Challenge. The experience will simply be invaluable for them right before the South Asian Games.”

Shrestha further added that the Association has not been able to send many shuttlers to other nations to gain exposure and experience due to financial limitations. “In such a situation, we are confident of the Challenge serving as an opportunity for Nepali shuttlers to take on higher-ranked opponents from other nations.” He was hopeful that experience from the Challenge would help improve their quality and perform better in future tournaments including the South Asian Games.

The tournament being organised at an investment of around seven million rupees carries cash prize of $25,000. Shuttlers from India, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Russia, Bangladesh, USA, Canada, Maldives, Ukraine, Vietnam, Mongolia, Australia, Malaysia, Turkey, Indonesia, Bhutan, Pakistan, Iran and England will compete in the event.

The Challenge will have competitions in five categories. Altogether 67 shuttlers will contest in men’s singles, 38 in women’s singles, 21 pairs in men’s doubles, 17 pairs in women’s doubles and 22 pairs in mixed doubles events.