Badminton tourney concludes

Vijayawada: The three-day Shuttle Badminton tournament organised by Eda Vedadri Engineers’ (EVE) Friends Circle at EVE Grounds, adjacent to Polavaram Right Main Canal in Kothuru Tadepalli of Vijayawada rural mandal, concluded on Thursday night.

Conducted as part of Sankranti celebrations, the tournament saw enthusiastic participation from players across Vijayawada rural, G Konduru, Mylavaram, Ibrahimpatnam, and Vijayawada city.

Retired Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Eda Ashok Kumar Goud graced the valedictory ceremony and distributed prizes to winners and runners-up. Addressing the gathering, he encouraged youngsters to actively participate in sports, highlighting that employment opportunities in government services under the sports quota have improved significantly in recent years. He congratulated all the participants for displaying discipline, teamwork, and true sporting spirit.

Railway Employees Union president Palagani Seetaramaiah lauded EVE Friends Circle for organising badminton tournament continuously for the past 13 years under the leadership of its president Eda Vedadri.

He noted that during Sankranti festivities, many youth tend to get attracted towards cockfights, card games, and gambling, but such sports events provide a healthy and constructive alternative.

Help Hospital, Vijayawada CEO Chalapati Jayanth appreciated the organisers for conducting the tournament during the festive season, stating that sports activities help divert youth away from gambling and cockfights.

Echoing similar views, Helping Hands Foundation founder Mareedu Sivarama Krishna expressed happiness over the successful conduct of the tournament and congratulated the organising committee for promoting fitness and healthy recreation.

EVE Friends Circle president Eda Vedadri, Helping Hands Foundation representatives Palagani Rajeshwara Rao and Ankem Venkata Vishnu Chaitanya, along with members of the EVE Friends Circle, were among those present.

Vijayawada’s Sadique, Hameed win doubles title

In seniors category, Sadique and Hameed from Vijayawada clinched first place, while Kaseem and Sai, also from Vijayawada, secured runners-up position. In juniors category, Abhi and Shankar from Konduru secured the title, with Pavan and Abhi from Mylavaram as runners-up.

In sub-junior category, Varun and Praveen from Mylavaram emerged as winners, while Surya and Kusel from Velagaleru finished as runners-up.