Decade-old badminton hall undergoes renovation

Amritsar’s decades-old, two-court indoor badminton hall is once again undergoing renovation and upgradation to meet the demands of modern times. Local shuttlers believe the city now requires a new, six-court badminton facility to host international tournaments.

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The hall was first renovated in 1996, when then Deputy Commissioner KBS Sidhu inaugurated the updated facility. It was again revamped in 2006, with the inauguration led by then Deputy Commissioner Kirandeep Singh Bhullar.

The hall currently caters to over 200 shuttlers daily, including more than 130 active players and about 70 members of the Amritsar District Badminton Association. The majority of the active players are girls, with three currently competing at the national level.

Navjot Singh Bhullar, a former national player and the Secretary of the Amritsar District Badminton Association, recently oversaw the installation of two new wooden courts in the hall. Additionally, two new court mats are scheduled to be installed by June. To finance the upgrades, around 70 members of the association pooled their funds, also receiving support from private companies. Sanjeev Kapoor, Senior Vice President of the association, played a pivotal role in the renovation process.

Currently, the hall serves two international-level players, over eight national players and several state medalists. Among them is Nilesh Seth, an Under-17 state champion who regularly competes at national tournaments.

Adhyayan Kakkar, a former state men’s champion, is presently training in Bengaluru for his next championship. Meanwhile, international player Mayank Behal is preparing for the upcoming World Championship in September 2025 in Thailand. Behal won a bronze medal in singles and a silver in doubles and mixed doubles at the 2025 National Championship in Goa. With a career spanning 30 years, Behal has clinched 25 state titles in various age categories, including Under-13, Under-16 and Under-19. He also earned bronze medals in two editions of the junior nationals in 1998 and 1999. Behal, who completed his MBA from Guru Nanak Dev University, currently works as a manager at the Food Corporation of India (FCI) after resigning from the Indian Railways in 2009.

Notably, the hall has hosted prominent badminton figures such as Arjuna awardee Davinder Ahuja, a national doubles champion and bronze medalist at the 1974 Asian Games in the men’s team event, and Dinesh Khanna, the first Indian to win an Asian badminton title in 1965.

In addition to the renovations, about 20 children receive free coaching at the hall every day from 2 to 4 pm, helping to nurture future badminton talent in the city.