Srinagar, Nov 08: The 45th Senior National Softball Championship concluded in Bakshi Stadium here on Wednesday with Punjab Men’s and Women’s teams bagging the coveted title. The championship was hosted at the twin venues of Bakshi Stadium and Multiple Sports Complex Gindun, Rajbagh in Srinagar.
Pertinently, Commissioner Secretary Youth Services and Sports Department, Sarmad Hafeez had declared the championship open on the 4th of November amid a huge gathering of participants from 27 states and union territories of the country besides sports buffs and students from various educational institutions.
The Secretary Sports Council Nuzhat Gull presided over the concluding function as the chief guest. While speaking on the occasion, Nuzhat Gull congratulated the medallists and asked the other participants to not lose hope and keep trying till one day they succeed in reaching their goal.
During the later part of her speech, the chief guest made it interactive and sought feedback from participants. Nuzhat Gull also remarked that events like these provide a platform for athletes to showcase their skill level besides providing them an opportunity to earn recognition for their hard work and toil they go through while preparing for such competitions.
Meanwhile, Punjab emerged as the champion in both men’s and women’s categories.
In the Women’s final played between Punjab and Maharashtra, the former gave a good fight to their opponents and clinched the title. The teams Maharashtra and Kerala settled for silver and bronze medals respectively.
In the other final of the day in the Men’s category played between Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, later got the better of their opponents, and emerged victorious while Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra settled for second and third place respectively.
“This is the fifth national level event hosted by J&K this year and more are in the offing in the coming months, ” said Divisional Sports Officer Kashmir Muzaffar Hussain Wani. He said earlier national events in the disciplines of Handball, Arm Wrestling, Thang-Ta, and Football were hosted by J&K, Wani added.
Among others present on the occasion included the Manager, Bakshi Stadium Mushtaq Zargar, and other officials from the J&K Sports Council and Directorate of Youth Services and Sports besides many office bearers of Softball Association of India including Dr. Praveen Anorkar Director of international tours, LR Moria Secretary General, Shirikant Thorat, Dharmaji Choudankar Vice President, Tabinder Sahu Vice President from softball Association of India, Abdul Rehman Shigan and Waseem Ahmad President and General Secretary J&K Softball Association of J&K and Umar Akbar.
The participants were all praises to the J&K Sports Council for organizing an event in a very systematic manner and providing the best facilities during their stay.
The Secretary Sports Council distributed the medals and trophies among the victorious teams and also gave away the mementos to the volunteers and others who pooled in efforts to make the event successful and smooth.
The championship witnessed matches in both the men’s and women’s sections. With a total of 27 teams in the men’s section and 25 teams in the women’s section, a total of 52 teams participated in the championship. The hosts J&K settled at seventh place in the competition after beating Delhi.
