PAPU NALLAH, 20 May: More than 50 players, both men and women, in various age groups are participating in the Dree festival badminton and table tennis competitions which got underway at the Dree ground indoor stadium here on Saturday.
The competitions are being organised by the Capital Complex Dree Festival Committee (CCDFC).
Dree Ground Management Committee (DGMC) chairman Tage Taling, who inaugurated the competitions, lauded the former DGMC members, “particularly engineers Tadu Tayeng and Kuru Sera, for their farsighted and wise decision in bringing a change in the location of the festival ground, which can accommodate thousands of Apatanis from all over the state who throng the capital to celebrate Dree festival.”
CCDFC chairman Dani Sulu informed that “96 games will be played in both badminton and table tennis.”
“This is so far the largest number of Apatani contingents from various parts of the state participating in the CCDFC indoor games competitions, and it is encouraging to find so many enthusiastic and budding badminton and table tennis lovers from our community,” he said.
Informing that the “CCDFC has facilitated in matting the badminton floor with synthetic turf mat from this season onwards,” Sulu suggested that “the same can be leased out or outsourced to earn revenue for DGMC.”
In badminton, seven categories of playoffs are lined up, including men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles, veteran men’s singles and doubles, and super veteran men’s singles and doubles.
In the veteran category, the participants must be aged 40 years and above, while in the super veterans category the participants must be aged 50 years and above. In table tennis, women will also be competing in the singles’ category.
Besides offline and online cultural competitions, several sports events, including archery, football and volleyball, will be organised shortly after the tournaments are over. (L/Subansiri DIPRO)
