The Times of India, July 11, 2008

Deccan Chronicle, July 11, 2008

Deccan Herald, July 11, 2008

Order of Play

The Sprite Bangalore Invitational Challenge '08
Date: 12th of July, 2008
Time: 6 pm onwards

Match 1 – Smashing News:
A KBA Invitational doubles team
(Harish Kumar and Rupesh Kumar)
& Rajiv Ouseph

vs.

The Press Club doubles champions
(Chinmaye Bhave, NDTV and G.R.N.Somashekar, The Hindu)
& Arvind Bhat
(Teams of 3, Best of 3 games, first to 11 points wins game*,
no player may play more than 2 games)

Match 2 – Champs Face-off (Ladies):
Thilini Jayasinghe (Sri Lanka)
vs.
Helen Davies (England)
(Best of 3 games, first to 11 points wins game*)

Match 3 – Suits on Court:
Bijou Kurien (President and Chief Executive, Reliance Retail) & Anup Sridhar
vs.
Parthasarathy N.S. (Co-founder and COO, MindTree) & Petr Koukal
(Best of 3 games, first to 11 points wins game*)

Match 4 – Legends in Action:
Prakash Padukone & Vimal Kumar
vs.
Shruti Kurien & B. R. Meenakshi
(Best of 3 games, first to 11 points wins game*)

Match 5 – Champs Face-off (Men):
Arvind Bhat (India)
vs.
Rajiv Ouseph (England)
(Best of 3 games, first to 21 points wins game*)

Match 6 – Clash of the Titans:
Anup Sridhar (India)
vs.
Petr Koukal (Czech Republic)
(Best of 3 games, first to 21 points wins game*)

*games must be won by a difference of two points

Free entry for the sports lovers (first-come-first-served basis).

Launch Press Conference

Vimal Kumar, Petr Koukal and Anup Sridhar at the launch of the Sprite Bangalore Invitational Challenge '08.

The event poster

Event Press

The Times of India, Bangalore, Sunday, July 6, 2008

Event Press

Meet the Legends II - U. Vimal Kumar

One of India’s most successful badminton players ever, Vimal Kumar has represented India at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, and was ranked within the top 20 in world.

His most notable achievements include winning the prestigious French and Welsh International Open titles.

Today, he coaches alongside Prakash Padukone at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bangalore.

Meet the Legends I - Prakash Padukone

Undoubtedly India’s finest badminton player ever, and the only Indian ever to be ranked world no.1, Prakash Padukone won the Danish Open, Swedish Open and the All England Championships in 1980.

A Padmashree awardee, he also won nine consecutive national championships from 1971 to 1979.

Today, Prakash Padukone remains the inspiration and coach to many yougsters through the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bangalore.

Players in the Press - Rajiv Ouseph

Players in the Press - Thilini Jayasinghe

Players in the Press - Petr Koukal

Know Your Players IV - Rajiv Ouseph

Rajiv Ouseph is the reigning English National Champion and among the most exciting young shuttlers in the world.

His most notable achievement is winning the European Junior Championship in 2005, the first Englishman to do so in twenty years.

Know Your Players III - Thilini Jayasinghe

Thilini Jayasinghe is Sri Lanka's Olympic qualifier for Beijing.

The 23-year-old from Kandy is the first ever woman to qualify for the Olympics in badminton from Sri Lanka.

Thilini is currently training in Bangalore at the Prakash Padukone Academy in preparation for the Olympics.

The youngster will be aiming to showcase her wares on the big stage in Beijing.

Know Your Players II - Petr Koukal

Petr Koukal is the Czech Olympic qualifier with a current world-ranking of 38.

He has previously won the Cyprus International Open and the Hatzor Israel International Open.

Koukal has won a number of admirers with his exciting style of play and is hoping to make a mark at Beijing.

He is currently in pre-Olympic training at the Prakash Padukone Academy in Bangalore.

More about Petr on his official website.

Know Your Players I - Anup Sridhar

Anup Sridhar is India's top men's singles badminton player. He will be representing India at the Beijing Olympics, 2008.

Anup is currently ranked No. 31 in the world. His highest ranking so far has been 24.

He is coached by Tom John, Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar.
Anup is employed by Bharat Petroleum and his sponsors include SLK Software and Yonex.

For more on Anup Sridhar, please visit his official webpage.

Event Highlights

• Pre-Olympic Rallies: Watch Anup Sridhar (India), Petr Koukal (Czech Republic) and Thilini Jayasinghe (Sri Lanka) in action before they head off for Beijing
• Champs Face-off: Rajiv Ouseph (British National Champion), Arvind Bhat andothers showcase their skills
• Legends in Action: The silken touch of the legendary Prakash Padukone andVimal Kumar graces the courts
• Suits on Court: Corporate honchos pair up with Olympic stars in a unique doubles encounter
• Smashing News: The Press Club doubles champions take on the KBA doubles champs

Announcing the Bangalore Invitational Challenge '08

The Karnataka Badminton Association, in association with GoSports and SportzVillage, announces the inaugural Bangalore Invitational Challenge - A Celebration of Badminton. The event will provide badminton enthusiasts with the opportunity to watch world-class talent, present and past.

Date & Time: Saturday, 12th July 2008 - 6pm onwards, seating on a first come first served basis

Venue: Karnataka Badminton Association, Jasma Bhavan Road, Bangalore

Raffle Draw ~ Exciting Prizes ~ Photo Opportunities with Stars ~ Food Stalls...and lots more...

For further information or sponsorship opportunities, please e-mail gobadminton@gosports.in