CM Pema Khandu meets Arunachal's young badminton stars

Key Takeaways

Chief Minister Pema Khandu met young badminton players at the Dorjee Khandu Memorial Badminton Championship on 8 August 2026 .

The tournament is held annually in memory of former CM Dorjee Khandu , who died in a helicopter crash in 2011 .

Khandu tagged #KheloIndia , linking the event to the Central government's grassroots sports scheme launched in 2017 .

Northeastern states have used such memorial tournaments as talent-scouting pipelines feeding into national competitions.

Badminton has received incremental state support in Arunachal Pradesh through coaching camps and district-level events.

At a badminton championship carrying one of Arunachal Pradesh's most personal tributes, Chief Minister Pema Khandu stepped off the sidelines and into the frame — literally — meeting the young players he called the state's future champions.

The occasion was the Dorjee Khandu Memorial Badminton Championship, an annual tournament held in honour of Pema Khandu's own father, former Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, who died in a helicopter crash in 2011. What began as a tribute has become a fixture in Arunachal's sporting calendar — a rare event that fuses remembrance with real talent scouting. Khandu posted on X on 8 August 2026: 'With the young stars of Arunachal badminton! These young players are going to make Arunachal proud.' He tagged #KheloIndia, linking the grassroots moment to the Central government's flagship sports scheme launched in 2017 to identify and nurture athletic talent across India's states.

A memorial that doubles as a talent pipeline

Northeastern states have quietly built a model where memorial tournaments do double duty — honouring leaders while feeding players into district and national pipelines. The Dorjee Khandu Memorial fits that pattern precisely. Badminton has seen steady, if incremental, support in Arunachal Pradesh through coaching camps and district-level competitions, and events like this one give young athletes their first competitive stage. The Khelo India hashtag in Khandu's post is not incidental. State governments have increasingly used the scheme as a branding umbrella for local tournaments, signalling to the Centre that grassroots activity is alive — and that players here are worth watching at the national level.

The weight of the Dorjee Khandu name

For Pema Khandu, this championship carries an obvious personal dimension. His father led Arunachal Pradesh until the April 2011 helicopter crash that killed him along with four others. The annual tournament in Dorjee Khandu's name has run for over a decade, turning grief into a sporting institution. That the sitting Chief Minister — his son — now stands courtside with the next generation of players is a detail the photographs make vivid without needing explanation. Arunachal Pradesh borders China and has long used sports infrastructure as part of a broader push to develop its youth and anchor communities to the state. Badminton, accessible and popular across the Northeast, fits naturally into that strategy. Whether any of these young players advances to a Khelo India national selection remains to be seen — but the pipeline starts exactly here, at tournaments like this one, with a Chief Minister in the frame.

Point of View

But the Khelo India tag signals a deliberate effort to align state-level activity with Central funding and visibility. Northeastern states have increasingly used memorial tournaments as soft instruments of youth policy — combining tribute with talent identification. For Khandu personally, the event carries political and familial weight that no other tournament in the state calendar does. The broader pattern suggests Arunachal is positioning its youth sports ecosystem for greater national recognition, with badminton as one of its early bets.

NationPress

8 Aug 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Dorjee Khandu Memorial Badminton Championship?

It is an annual badminton tournament held in Arunachal Pradesh to honour former Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu , who died in a helicopter crash in 2011 . The event has run for over a decade and serves as a platform for young players in the state.

Who was Dorjee Khandu?

Dorjee Khandu was a former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh who died in a helicopter crash in April 2011 . He is the father of current Chief Minister Pema Khandu .

What is the Khelo India scheme?

Khelo India is a Central government programme launched in 2017 to promote grassroots sports participation and identify athletic talent across India's states, including through district and state-level tournaments.

Is Arunachal Pradesh developing badminton at the grassroots level?

Yes. Arunachal Pradesh has supported badminton through coaching camps, district-level competitions, and events like the Dorjee Khandu Memorial Championship , which provide young players their first competitive exposure.

What did CM Pema Khandu say about the young badminton players?

Khandu said the young players are 'going to make Arunachal proud,' calling them young stars and future champions of the state.