It was a scintillating week in sports marked with a number of success stories. Women's football received a boost as Sailabala Women's College emerged victorious. Durga Madhab Nayak made the state proud by becoming FIFA international panel referee. He is the first person from Orissa to achieve this feat. An athletic meet and session on umpiring were the other events this week. The Telegraph takes a look at these sporting achievements that marked the week.

Football time

Cuttack District Women’s Football League came to a brilliant finish last week as hosts Sailabala Women’s College battered SAI Training Centre team 4-1 in the finals. It was Supriya Routray’s two goals that gave the perfect start to the winning side with Neha Parwin and Priyanka Nayak scoring one goal each. The only goal from the SAI team was scored by Reshma Begum.The Football Association of Orissa first division league still continues at Barabati Stadium. On Monday, in the match between Orissa Police and Azad Hind Club, Orissa Police won as Azad Hind Club gave a walkover. The other match between Chand Club and Radhagobinda Club ended in a goalless draw.

FIFA referee

Durga Madhab Nayak, an elite panel referee of Orissa has qualified for the coveted honour of becoming a FIFA international panel referee. He is the first from the state to achieve the feat. Nayak, who hails from Sundargarh, has scored 95 per cent in the theory examination, which was conduct by FIFA officials in Chennai. Earlier, was appointed as the elite panel referee in 2008. According to officials of Football Association of Orissa, Nayak has officiated in a number of prestigious football tournaments of AIFF, including I-league and the Federation Cup. To add to the good news for football fans, Aula Kanheya, a footballer from Bhawanipatna Sports Hostel, has been selected by the All-India Football Federation to represent the country in Under-16 SAFF championship, which has begun in Kathmandu from August 1.

Paralympic sports

Fresh elections were held last week for the Paralympic Committee of India in Bangalore. Paralympic sportsperson from Orissa, Bishnu Charan Sahoo, head of various national paralympic sports bodies has emerged as one of the two vice-presidents of the committee.

Umpiring skills

A two-day training camp for umpires (level 1 and 2) by BCCI was held from July 28 to 30 at Orissa Cricket Association in Cuttack. Selected from various parts of the state, 25 umpires attended the training session in which they were taught the basic rules of cricket, umpiring laws, ground situation and other aspects of the game. The umpires will undergo an examination, which is slated to be held next year. They will later be sent for further training to a national camp.On the other hand, revered cricket coach Kishore Mania retired from the directorate of sports and youth affairs. He was the assistant sports director of the state. He was the coach of well-known cricketers like Ranjib Biswal, Shiv Sundar Das among others.

Chess star

The 50th world junior chess championship and 29th world junior girls championship have begun in Chennai. Woman grandmaster, Padmini Rout, who had clinched the bronze medal in the event last year in Poland, is eyeing the title this time. Before leaving for Chennai, the 17-year-old chess champion said she has practiced hard for the event and is all set to face the tough competition from Russian players.

Mountain biking

Adventure sportsperson Arpita Mohapatra has been chosen to represent Orissa at the National Mountain Biking Expedition (for girls), 2011 from Kullu to Khardungla la pass via Leh, covering 600kms on bicycle. The19-day-long biking event to be held from August 16 to September 3 will require cyclists to go through the world’s most hazardous and difficult terrain passing the Rohtang Pass, Lachung La Pass, Tanglang La Pass and finally world’s highest motorable Khardung La Pass (18,380ft). For the first time, Youth Hostels Association of India, New Delhi, is organising such an expedition on this high altitude terrain where around 100 girls from various parts of the country are selected

Athletics meet

The 23rd East Zone Junior Athletics Championship that kick-started on Monday in Calcutta saw a remarkable start for the Orissa contingent. Youngsters Rajat Mohanty and Jambeswar Panda grabbed gold in shot put, while Bonita Lakra clinched a sliver in long jump. Five other athletes won bronze medals, making it a total of 8 medals for Orissa.

Table tennis championship

Table tennis enthusiasts are about to witness some action. The 19th Orissa Open Table Tennis Championship organised by Young Generation's Table Tennis Association is scheduled to start at the Barabati Club House from August 10. Competitions will be held in 10 different events during the three-day championship, which will conclude on August 12.

Also, Jeevan Ballav Samal, an international table tennis umpire of the Orissa State Table Tennis Association has been selected as umpire for the Nikkon Hong Kong World Junior Circuit Table Tennis Championship. Samal has been selected to officiate the tournament by Table Tennis Federation of India. The tournament is scheduled to be held at Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong from August 3 to 7.