Subroto Cup begins with glittering opening ceremony

New Delhi: The 61st edition of the Subroto Cup International Football Tournament began after a gap of two years, here at the B.R Ambedkar Stadium, marking the start of the most prestigious football tournament for schools all over the country.
The tournament, organized by the Subroto Mukherjee Sports Education Society (SMSES) along with the Indian Air Force, witnessed a glittering opening ceremony in the presence of Chief Guest Air Marshal K. Anantharaman, VSM, Air Officer-in-Charge Administration and Vice Chairman, (SMSES), kicked-off the first match in the Under-14 Boys category between National Cadet Corps (NCC) and Govt. Model HSS, Sector 36, Chandigarh which finished in a goalless draw.
Commonwealth Games 2022 medal winners in weightlifting, Junior Warrant Officers Vikas Thakur and Gururaja Poojary were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Air Marshal K Anantharaman, VSM, Honorary, Air Officer-in-Charge Administration and Vice Chairman, SMSES, said, “The legacy of the Subroto Cup is worth its weight in gold and it represents the need for children to be involved in sport and physical activities as much as studies, during these crucial formative years of their lives. Our champion athletes and Guest of Honour Vikas Thakur and Gururaja Poojary are the best examples of what sporting excellence can achieve.”
Air Marshal Anantharaman also felicitated the Guests of Honour for their Commonwealth Games performance.
The opening ceremony also saw an eye-catching Rifle (.303, 5.5kgs) juggling performance by the Air Warrior Drill Team (AWDT) and a cultural program involving school children of the Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute, Subroto Park. Before the kick-off, the oath of fair play was also administered to the teams and a wonderful Air Force Band enthralled the spectators during half-time. Govt. Model HSS, Sector 36, Chandigarh and National Cadet Corps played out a goalless draw. There were not many clear-cut chances in the game for both teams. The best chance of the game came for the Chandigarh as Maibam Borish Meitei missed a clear-cut opportunity to score.
Around 15 matches will be played tomorrow across four stadiums – B.R Ambedkar, Tejas Park, Subroto Park and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. There are 32 teams divided into eight groups in the Boys U-14 category. The winner in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.
A total of 92 schools representing 25 States and Union Territories of India have qualified across the three (U-14 Boys, U-17 Girls, U-17 Boys) categories and Air Force School, Bangladesh will also be competing in the tournament. (UNI)