India’s young shuttlers prepare for Youth Olympics badminton campaign

Hyderabad: India’s young shuttlers Dev Ruparelia and Tanvi Patri will represent the country in the badminton competition at the Dakar Youth Olympic Games 2026 in Senegal, scheduled to take place from November 1 to 5.

With the draws for the badminton events announced, second seed Dev Ruparelia has been placed in Group H of the men’s singles competition alongside Shaurya Gullaiya (Canada), Petr Briza (Czech Republic) and Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Diagne (Senegal).

In the women’s singles competition, third seed Tanvi Patri has been drawn in Group F, where she will face Smrithi Adepu (Australia), Sara Patricia Delgado Gonzalez (Mexico) and Jang Yu Jeong (Korea).

Tournament format

The badminton competition will feature men’s and women’s singles events, with 32 players competing in each category. The competition will be played across two stages: the group stage, followed by the knockout stage.

The players have been divided into eight groups of four, with each player facing the other three players in their respective group. The winner of each group will advance to the quarterfinals of the knockout stage, followed by the semifinals and medal matches. The gold and bronze medals will be decided on November 5.

Both Indian shuttlers will look to top their respective groups and secure places in the knockout stages as they aim to make their mark on the Youth Olympic stage.