District-Level Boys and Girls Kabaddi Tournament in Puri District
Kakatpur, 11/10 — The district-level boys’ and girls’ kabaddi tournament for the under-14 and under-17 age groups for the year 2023–24 has been inaugurated at the premises of the local Government High School. Odisha’s Sports and Youth Affairs Minister, Shri Tushar Kanti Behera, attended as the chief guest, hoisted the flag, accepted the salute, and formally inaugurated the event. In his address, he emphasized the growing importance of the role played by Odisha’s sportspersons in the development of sports.
In the tournament, a total of 104 senior boys and 102 senior girls from 11 blocks of Puri district participated, while in the junior category, 101 boys and 100 girls took part in the kabaddi matches.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Puri District Education Officer Dr. Biswajit Ghosh. Other distinguished guests included Puri Zilla Parishad Vice-Chairman Shri Swadhin Kumar Nayak, educationists Swapleswar Sahu and Chittaranjan Parida, social worker Gyanaranjan Sahu, District Physical Education Officer Mahendra Kumar Biswal, Block Education Officer Dillip Kumar Jena, Headmaster Srikanta Kumar Swain, and Sports Association Secretary Rajib Ranjan Das. Teacher Pratap Kumar Raut introduced the guests and coordinated the ceremony.
The tournament will continue for two days. According to District Physical Education Officer Mahendra Kumar Biswal, the best-performing athletes from this competition will represent the district in the upcoming state-level kabaddi tournament scheduled to begin on the 16th of this month in Ganjam district.
The event was organized and managed by teachers and sports instructors including Pitabas Dixit, Dillip Kumar Swain, Sudhanshu Mohan Biswal, Manas Ranjan Biswal, Rajkishore Nayak, Pradeep Kumar Kara, Gyanaranjan Mishra, and Chittaranjan Mishra.
