Arun Rajbhandari’s seven-hour drive from Indiana to Iowa was the latest leg of a journey that began about 50 years ago in a small town in Nepal.
The 62-year-old’s road to the 2025 National Senior Games presented by Humana has been fueled by his lifelong passion for badminton. Now arrived in West Des Moines, Iowa, for his first-ever National Senior Games competition with his mixed doubles partner, Suphayada “Sammy” Tammwoharl, Arun is continuing his love for the oldest racquet sport that is played worldwide.
Arun Rajbhandari (left) with his mixed doubles partner Suphayada “Sammy” Tammwoharl.
“I started doing my training with a national coach when I was 13,” Arun said, his voice filled with the memory of those early days. Back then, badminton wasn’t easy to pursue. In his hometown in Nepal, badminton was considered a “little costly game,” he recalled. “Proper training and proper dieting was a challenge.”
Despite those challenges, a fire was lit and fanned into a flame of passion and dedication for Arun. In 1979, he competed in his first national championship, where he secured a runner-up award, a moment that he says “inspired me for badminton, to keep moving on.” From there, Arun’s career flourished. He won multiple championships and competed at the collegiate and national levels before eventually moving to the United States, where he has lived for more than 20 years. Now, he is finally getting his chance to compete at the National Senior Games.
“This is a great opportunity to play badminton in the National Senior Games, which I’m really proud of and was longing for, in fact.”
This year, he’s not alone on the court. He’s joined by his partner Sammy, who is also new to The Games. They’ve played together for quite a while at a club in Indiana where they’ve had much success in previous tournaments. Their shared confidence is clear-cut. “We are confident,” Arun states, with Sammy adding a resolute, “100 percent!”
The environment of The Games has lived up to their expectations. Sammy describes The Games as “a great environment, where everybody is friendly and welcome.” For Arun, being surrounded by so many active adults is a motivator. “It’s amazing,” he said. “I can see all ‘young’ people here today, which is very inspiring. It lets us keep going.”
This competition is about more than just a match or the pursuit of a medal. It’s a clear culmination of a lifetime of dedication and celebration of the sport that has defined Arun. With profound truth, Arun states, “main thing is that badminton keeps me young all the time.”
By: Danielle Brown
