The carrom championship under way at Popular Club in Cuttack. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Dec. 6: A district level carrom championship is on at Popular Club at Nuapatna in Cuttack.

“This is the first time a carrom championship is being held in the Millennium City and the main objective of the tournament is to promote the indoor game,” said Mayadhar Sahoo, organising secretary of the Carrom Association.

Sahoo, who is a former state-level carrom champion, said the championship, which began yesterday, would continue till December 8.

The final would be held on December 17. A total of 72 participants from 17 clubs in the city are battling it out in the championship.

National players — Deepak Samal, Manoj Mukhi, John Debashish, Nihar Ranjan Behera, Intekhab Khan, Amit Ranjan Das and Mayadhar Sahoo — are taking part in the championship.

“The main objective of the championship is to pick players from the grassroot level and bring the game to the limelight,” said Tapas Mohanty, member of Carrom Association.

According to Mohanty, the championship is part of the golden jubilee celebrations of Popular Club and is being organised under the aegis of Cuttack District Carrom Association.

Players, including Bikash Sahu, Binod Rout, Tutu Sahoo, Hrudaya Ranjan Pata and Seikh Hassim, have qualified for the next round.

“This would certainly motivate the youngsters to watch their seniors play in the tournament and try to learn from them during the championship,” a player said.

Eight victorious players, including the champion and runners up, quarter and semi-finalists, would directly qualify for the inter-district carrom championship starting next year.