Pakyong Hosts Grand Masters Badminton Championship, Promoting Fitness and a Drug-Free Sikkim
Pakyong, 15 September: The 1st Pakyong Grand Masters Badminton Championship–2026 successfully concluded yesterday at the Multi Purpose Community Hall, Pakyong, which was organised by the Badminton Association of Pakyong (BAP) in collaboration with the Pakyong District Administration.
The premier three-day tournament ran from 12th to 14th September, 2026, drawing massive enthusiasm from the badminton lovers from all over Sikkim. The tournament centered on the Nasha Mukt Bharat and Nasha Mukt Sikkim theme to promote substance abuse prevention and a healthy lifestyle within the community.
The championship officially commenced on September 12th with a grand inauguration ceremony graced by the Hon’ble Minister Roads and Bridges Department, Shri N.B. Dahal, who graced the occassion as the Chief Guest. The inaugural day also welcomed Hon’ble Minister for Forest and Environment Department, Government of Sikkim, Shri Pintso Namgyal Lepcha, and Hon’ble MLA-cum-Chairman of DACS, Shri Satish Chandra Rai, who participated both as a Guest of Honour and as an active player on the court in Men’s Doubles 60+ category.
The momentum carried forward strongly into the second day of the tournament on September 13th, which was graced by Shri Puran Kumar Gurung, Hon'ble Minister for Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, as the Chief Guest. The Minister witnessed several high-octane quarter-final and semi-final clashes, commending the participants for their sportsmanship and the association for promoting physical fitness across all age demographics. He further sponsored cash prizes for the winners of events, for which Badminton Association of Pakyong will forever be indebted.
A total of 229 badminton players from across the state converged to compete across diverse veteran brackets, including 35+, 40+, 45+, 50+, 55+, 60+, and 65+ age categories spanning Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles, and Mixed Doubles events.
The closing day on September 14th witnessed intense series of final matches attended by the Hon’ble Minister for Education, Law and Sports & Youth Affairs, Shri Raju Basnet, who graced the event as the Chief Guest. Hon’ble MLA West Pendam Constituency cum Advisor to Land Revenue & Disaster Management, IT, and IPR Department, Government of Sikkim, Shri. L.B. Das, graced the event as a Guest of Honour. A special exhibition match featuring Shri Raju Basnet & partner vs Shri. LB Das and partner added to the spectators' delight during the closing sequence.
Speaking at the event, BAP President, Shri Kusal Gurung expressed deep gratitude to Hon'ble Chief Minister, Government of Sikkim, Shri Prem Singh Tamang-Golay, and his team for unwavering support to the field of sports. He also thanked Hon’ble Minister for Roads and Bridges Department, Shri N.B. Dahal, Hon’ble Minister for Forest and Environment Department, Shri Pintso Namgyal Lepcha, Hon'ble Minister for Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, Government of Sikkim, Shri Puran Kumar Gurung, Hon’ble Minister for Education, Law and Sports & Youth Affairs, Shri Raju Basnet, Hon’ble MLA West Pendam Constituency cum Advisor to Land Revenue & Disaster Management, IT, and IPR Department, Government of Sikkim, Shri. L.B. Das for their kind presence and support. He further expressed his deepest gratitude to the Hon’ble Member of Parliament-Lok Sabha, Dr. Indra Hang Subba for providing a badminton mat to Badminton Association of Pakyong. The President also expressed his deepest gratitude to Smt. Pamin Lepcha, Hon’ble MLA Gnathang Machong Constituency cum Advisor to Social Welfare Department and Women, Child, Senior Citizen & Divyangjan Department and Hon’ble Zilla Adakshya, Pakyong District Zilla Panchayat, Smt. Ladenla Bhutia for their unwavering support towards the association and promoting growth of badminton in the region. The President also thanked the District Collector, Pakyong District, Mrs. Pari Bishnoi, IAS and the Pakyong District Administration for their kind support in making the event a huge success. He further thanked, Shri. Jacob Khaling, Hon’ble President, Badminton Association of Sikkim for supporting the tournament and all the Badminton Clubs of Sikkim for participating in the tournament.
"This tournament was organized not just to showcase skills, but to provide a platform for our seasoned veteran players to connect, compete, and inspire the younger generation of shuttlers in Sikkim," Gurung stated.
