SHILLONG: The badminton test event for the 12th South Asian Games kick started at the NEHU, SAI Special Area Games, Shillong on Sunday afternoon. The event was declared open by Joint CEO, South Asian Games (Guwahati), Avinash Joshi. Joint CEO, SAG (Shillong), F R Kharkongor was also present on the occasion.
Under-15 shuttlers, both boys and girls, from six states across the North East are participating in the event in a venue which looked all decked up for the tournament organised to serve as a prelude to the main event during the South Asian Games.
Teams from Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh will fight it out for the top honours in the test event. On the first day of the event Arunachal Pradesh beat Nagaland 3-2 in the boys’ quarterfinals while in the girls’ category too it was Arunachal which beat hosts Meghalaya 3-2.
Meanwhile, the NEHU, SAI venue which was under scanner for its supposed inability to host the badminton discipline looked good to go for the Games putting to rest most of the fears of the organizers.
Boys quarterfinal
Arunachal beat Nagaland 3-2.
Singles
Bentilo (Nagaland) beat Lunku Sih (Arunachal) 21-16, 21-14.
Hito (Nagaland) beat Raja Gupta (Arunachal) 21-13, 21-16
Samir Khan (Arunachal) beat Mashang (Nagaland) 15-21, 21-12, 21-11
Doubles
Vicky Lakai and Lunku Sih (Arunachal) beat Azako and Achang (Nagaland) 21-19, 21-19
Raja Gupta and Samir Khan (Arunachal) beat Hito and Mashang (Nagaland) 21-12, 21-19
Girls’ quarterfinals
Arunachal beat Meghalaya 3-2
Singles
Selja Chettri (Meghalaya) beat Kapu Rumi (Arunachal) 21-12, 15-21, 21-15
Tanvi Iqbal (Meghalaya) beat Ingam Potom (Arunachal) 21-14, 21-17
Laayajum (Arunachal) beat Wankani Toi (Meghalaya) 21-11, 21-9
Doubles
Taning Yania and Mopi Yumlum (Arunachal) beat Selja Chettri and Bernadine (Meghalaya) 21-12, 21-14
Ingam Potom and Pinki Karki (Arunachal) beat Tanvi Iqbal and Shweata (Meghalaya) 21-19, 21-19