Athletes of the state shine at the East Zone Junior Athletics Championship held in Calcutta. A state-level carom championship comes to an end. The team to represent Orissa at the national judo meet in Cochin is named, and Madhuri Mehta and Roshanara Parveen become the first women from the state to be invited to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore for a training camp . The Telegraph checks out these sporting events and more.

Athletics meet

The 62-member athletes team from Orissa made the state proud at the recently concluded 23rd East Zone Junior Athletics Championship held in Calcutta. Winning 11 gold, five silver and 19 bronze medals, the athletes showcased a brilliant performance with Orissa standing third in the medals tally. Ace sprinter Dutee Chand bagged two gold medals in individual 100 and 200m rounds and another in a relay event. Athletes from the state also won medals in shot put, hurdles, discus throw, javelin and long jump.

Chess tourney

The under-9 national chess championships are on in Bhubaneswar with young players from all over the country contesting for the titles. According to the results till Tuesday, among boys, Tamil Nadu players Rahul S and Iniyan, Saurabh Anand from Bihar and Pranab Kumar Patra from Orissa are leading with three points each. Among girls, Elakeyya M (Tamil Nadu), Priyanka N (Andhra Pradesh), Riddhi Zantye (Goa), Shyamshree Sarkar (Bengal) and Choksey Maitra (Maharashtra) are on the top with three points each.

Carom championship

The All Orissa Open Carom Championship that was on in Khorda Road concluded on Monday. Organised by BJB Railway Institute and Orissa Carom Association, the winners at the event were James Pradhan in singles and James and Suresh Chandra Behera in doubles rounds.

Judo squad named

The State Judo Association has announced the squad that would represent the state at the forthcoming National Sub-junior Judo Championship. The tournament will be held in Cochin. Ten boys and seven girls have been chosen for the championships scheduled to be held in September.

Kickboxing

The first National Kickboxing Coaches Seminar is scheduled to begin in Bhubaneswar from August 11. Organised by All Orissa Kickboxing Association under the aegis of National Kickboxing Federation (IAKO), the event would be held at the Royal College Indoor Hall. More than 150 coaches, both in male and female categories, in Tatami and Ring sports would take part in the event that includes sessions on sports medicine and injury, first aid, diet and nutrition, physiotherapy, sports massage and various theoretical and practical sessions on technical aspects of coaching.

Basketball tourney in Cuttack

The Cuttack Basketball Association would be organising the 13th state sub-junior basketball championships at the Basketball Complex in Barabati Stadium. Around 250 participants from schools all across the state would be attending the four-day event. The performances would be considered for the selections of the national sub-junior basketball championship.

Women cricketers selected

The entire state is cheering for two young women cricketers from Balangir who have become the first female cricket players from the state to be invited to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore for a training camp. The 19-year olds, Madhuri Mehta and Roshanara Parveen, would be trained at the one-and-a-half month long camp. International cricketers from the state, Debasis Mohanty and Sib Sundar Das, have recently appeared for the ICC level 1 coaching tests. The two players from the state were dropped from the Ranji team last month.

Let’s play some football

The First Division football league by Football Association of Orissa (FAO) entered the Super League phase last week. East Coast Railway, Sports Hostel, Radharaman, SAI Hostel, Bidansi and Jai Durga football clubs are in the same group while Rising Student, Sunrise, Orissa Police, Radhagobinda, Morning and Sunshine clubs are in the other group. The top four teams from the two groups will meet in the semi-finals. The Super League matches will be on until August 24.
On the other hand, the Ganjam district football league-cum-knockout tournament, organised by the Ganjam District Veteran Athletic Association, has begun at the Berhampur stadium.
Women’s football in the state is also getting a boost from the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The AIFF authorities promised to organise tournaments and workshops to promote women’s football in Orissa at a convention held in Calcutta last week, attended by representatives from the state, coach Mohd Shahid Jabbar and former Indian team captain Shradhanjali Samantray.