Siliguri, once known as the “City of Table Tennis,” is set to reclaim its sporting legacy as it will host a major table tennis tournament after a 34-year hiatus.
The Bengal State Table Tennis Association (BSTTA) will organise the Bharati Ghosh Memorial Seventh State and Inter-District Table Tennis Championships 2025 from November 19 to 26 at the indoor stadium in Deshbandhupara here.
“This is the first time in more than three decades that such a large-scale table tennis tournament will be held in the city,” mayor Gautam Deb said on Wednesday. “Over 1,300 paddlers, including many top-ranked players of India, will participate in the tournament. We have completely revamped the indoor stadium and upgraded it to a facility for international-standard indoor games with new synthetic flooring. Players will compete on 10 professional-grade tables at the tourney.”
“We have taken this initiative to revive the most popular sport in our city. Siliguri was once known as the ‘City of Table Tennis,” he added.
The tournament has been named after Bharati Ghosh, a veteran table tennis coach of Siliguri.
According to the organisers, the championship will feature men’s and women’s categories, with 12 team events and an equal number of singles events. Besides, competitions will also be held in multiple age groups. The total cash reward for the tournament is ₹2 lakh.
On the inaugural day, Shyamal Das, the champion in the first state-level championship held in 1979, will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award by the BSTTA.
In addition, several prominent paddlers, including Arjuna awardees Mantu Ghosh and Mouma Das, Olympian Ankita Das, Subhojit Saha (Commonwealth Games doubles gold medalist), and noted players Poulami Ghatak, Soumyadeep Roy, and Soumyajit Ghosh, will be felicitated at the opening ceremony, the sources said.
“We hope the budding players, table tennis enthusiasts and people in general will swarm the indoor stadium to witness the matches,” the mayor said.
