Formidable force
Hockey Odisha has selected the final 18 members to represent the state men’s team at the 6th Sub-Junior National Hockey Championship (division A), organised by Hockey India at Imphal. The tournament began on May 14 and will end on May 22. The team was selected by Hockey Odisha after a coaching cum selection trial camp at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The camp began on May 3 and concluded on May 9. The Hockey Odisha team had won the tournament consecutively for five times. In the first match that was held on May 15, Manipur Hockey and Hockey Odisha played out a 3-3 draw. A total of 16 teams are taking part in the championship.
Free kicks
Two Cuttack-based teams — Radharaman Club and Bidanasi — won against Birsingh Club of Jharsuguda and East Coast Railway respectively on May 16 at the ongoing All-India Kalinga Cup Football Tournament that is being hosted at various venues. The Football Association of Odisha and the department of sports and youth services of the state government conducted the tournament. Famous football clubs from across the country such as the Mohammedan Sporting (Calcutta), Kalighat Milan Sangha Football Club (Calcutta), Army- XI (New Delhi), Indian Railways (New Delhi) are taking part in the tournament along with eight other football clubs. Some 17 teams are competing in the tournament, out of which nine teams are from Odisha. The final match will be played on May 25 at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.
Runs & wickets
The Balangir team won the Women’s Inter-District Cricket Tournament that was hosted by the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) from May 8 to 15. The winning team beat Cuttack by three wickets and received a cash prize of Rs 15,000, while the runners-up took home Rs 10,000. OCA vice-president Adhip Das handed over the trophies at the Nimpur Ground where the final match was held. Earlier, in the semi-final, Cuttack crushed Balasore by 286 runs and Balangir beat Bhubaneswar by five wickets.
Surf away
Three Odia boys have performed exceedingly well at the National Windsurfing Championship-2016 held in Goa last week. Narayan Munda, a 14-year-old surfer from Rourkela, won bronze at the event. Munda, who is a student of Class IX in Balughat High School, hails from Panposh in Rourkela. He is currently undergoing sailing training under the aegis of the Indian Navy in Goa along with three other young sailors from Odisha. The championship also saw 17-year-old D. Shekhar Rao of Cutack bagging a silver medal and another 14-year-old, S. Dilesh Rao, also from Cuttack, winning a bronze.
Kabaddi time
The first ever Women’s Kabaddi Premier League would be held between June 3 and 5 at the Patiagarh Sports Club in Bhubaneswar. Besides, the state will also host the All-India Junior Kabaddi Championship in Bhubaneswar. The decision was taken at the first executive body meeting of the Odisha Kabaddi Association after the election of new members. The secretary of the association, Ajay Kumar Behera, briefed about the future plans of the association. He said there would also be a training camp for trainers and referees from all over the state. It has also been decided to develop organisational activities of the popular game in the rural areas.
Popularity soars
Sepak takraw or kick volleyball, which is extremely popular in Southeast Asia, is making inroads in the state. An action plan titled Odisha Express has been formulated to draw youngsters into the game. The annual meeting of the Odisha State Sepak Takraw Association was held on May 15 in which several decisions were taken for expanding the sport all over the state. Accordingly, the annual budget for the coming year has been raised. District associations will get equipment and the state association will facilitate those who would want to purchase them. A sepak takraw premier league will be also be played in Bhubaneswar from this year. It was also decided that sepak takraw would be made an integral part of the state sports hostel and SAI sports hostel, which will help players take advantage of the present facilities.
