Gujarat Dy CM honours table tennis winners, inspects sports complex in Anand
Vadodara/Anand, Aug 14 A total of 775 young table tennis players from across Gujarat competed in the fourth Gujarat State Ranking Table Tennis Tournament, with Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi presenting trophies, certificates and cash prizes to the winners at the closing ceremony at the Sama Sports Complex in Vadodara on Friday.
The four-day tournament, held from August 11 to 14, featured boys and girls competing in the Under-9, Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 categories. Thirty technical support staff assisted the participants during the event.
The tournament is being held for the fourth consecutive year. The event dates are also listed by the Table Tennis Association of Baroda. Sanghavi also presented the Sardar Patel Junior Awards for 2007-08, 2016-17 and 2018-19 and congratulated the award recipients.
An annual report booklet was released during the ceremony. The Deputy Chief Minister also joined Vadodara MP Hemang Joshi for a set of table tennis, using the match to interact with and encourage players.
The closing ceremony was attended by MLA Chaitanya Desai, former MP Jaya Thakkar, Municipal Commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu, office-bearers of the Table Tennis Association of Baroda and the Gujarat State Table Tennis Association, Sports Department officials, senior athletes, players and their parents.
During his visit to Anand for the Tiranga Yatra, Sanghavi also inspected the newly constructed District Sports Complex, developed for Rs 22.52 crore under the supervision of the Sports Authority of Gujarat.
The complex includes an Indoor Multipurpose Hall and facilities for badminton, kho-kho and kabaddi, along with a synthetic modern tennis court, basketball court and a hockey ground.
It also has internal roads, paver-block work, parking, landscaping, an irrigation network, storm-water drainage, external water supply, high-mast and street lighting, a percolation well, borewell, compound wall, security cabin, main entrance gate and an external toilet block.
Sanghavi interacted with young badminton players at the complex and played with them before inspecting the facilities. He instructed officials to ensure that more sportspersons use the complex.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally our leaders are focusing on sports beyond cricket! Table tennis is gaining popularity in Gujarat, and such tournaments at state level will definitely help players get recognition. Kudos to the Table Tennis Association for organizing this for 4 consecutive years.
The sports complex at Anand seems to have all modern facilities - synthetic tennis court, basketball court, hockey ground. But I hope they also focus on maintenance and accessibility for rural athletes. Mere construction isn't enough; regular coaching and tournaments matter.
Sach me, it's heartening to see the Deputy CM personally playing with the young athletes! 🙌 These small gestures motivate kids a lot. And the Sardar Patel Junior Awards for past years being presented now - better late than never, I guess.
Is it just me or is this a bit of political posturing before elections? The timing of such visits always seems interesting. Still, if it genuinely helps sports infrastructure and young athletes, I'm all for it. Sports should be above politics.
What about the other districts? Gujarat needs more such complexes in every taluka, not just Anand. Sports infrastructure should be decentralized so that kids from smaller towns also get equal opportunities. Happy to see the progress though 🌟
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