LALITPUR, JANUARY 1

A group of badminton enthusiasts led by three-time national champion Rita Adhikari Bista on Friday announced the launch the Kathmandu Badminton Academy.

Another three-time national winner Shanti Manandhar is the founder members, while Badminton Asia Umpire Deepak Thapa, the first Nepali to officiate in the Olympic Games, is secretary of the Academy.

The KBA signed a two-year agreement with Bulls Indoor Sports Hall of Lalitpur to conduct the training. Thapa and Bull Indoor CEO Karan Pun exchanged the memorandum of understanding during the launching programme.

The Academy has appointed coaches Bal Krishna Thapa and Purushottam Dhakal to train the aspiring shuttlers, while Clinical Psychologist Hasna Shrestha, Sports Yoga instructor Pushkar Raj Panta, Nutrition Educator Yadu Ram Neupane and Physiotherapist Sarika Bista are in the team of experts to help the trainees.

“The Academy is run by experts and we hope to produce champion shuttlers who can excel in national and international arena,” said KBA Secretary Thapa who is also the President of Kathmandu District Badminton Association. Nepal Badminton Association President Ramji Bahadur Shrestha, President of Nepal National and International Players Association Deepak Shrestha, Bulls Indoor CEO Karan Pun, KBA President Rita Adhikari Bista and Secretary Deepak Thapa launched the Academy by unveiling the jersey.