Some top events already staged, organizers and sportspersons heave a sigh of relief
Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, June 18: Sports activities have romped back in the steel city with a bang post the Covid-19 pandemic. More will follow suit in due course of time.
With the pandemic keeping sports events and training camps in a shell for two years, its resumption has made the organizers and sportspersons heave a sigh of relief and praying for Covid third wave not making a comeback.
The landmark JRD Tata Sports Complex is again buzzing with activities. Same is the scenario at other sports venues across the city..
A plethora of events have already been conducted in hosted in Jamshedpur since things slowly and steadily started opening up in early February.
National level Javelin Throw competition, All India Sport Climbing Championship, inaugural All Women National Ranking Archery Tournament,
Hockey India Junior Men Academy National Championship,, SAFF Women;s Championship, East Zone Veterans” cricket tournament, inter-district cricket matches, local cricket league and district chess meet have already been conducted in a hassle-free manner in the steel city, also called sports city.
Sports summer camp was also one of the major programmes which made school students and their parents jump in joy. .The Special Olympics Jharkhand has also resumed its activities for the intellectually disable.
The conduct of events will continue with the Jamshedpur Sporting Association (JSA) football league inaugurated on Friday at Gopal Maidan. The over seven-decade old league is a most sought-after event for footballers from city and its surrounding pockets who look forward to make a mark and ensure entry into the state squads for national competitions. This league will continue for over a month.
Badminton activities will also continue at the Mohan Ahuja Stadium once its renovation is complete. Tata Steel is renovating the landmark venue after signing an MoU with Jharkhand Badminton Association earlier this year.
Sportspersons expressed happiness with events making a comeback. “Remaining indoors was very boring. The training session was being badly missed and my fitness was affected. Now, I am regularly training and feeling very fit,” said Sanatan Majhi, a promising middle-distance athlete.
JSA secretary and former Bihar Ranji Trophy skipper Avinash Kumar said they were happy for the resumption of football league. “Covid, in a way, was a punishment for all of us. The league could not be held for two seasons. JSA’s platinum jubilee last year was also not celebrated ,”Kumar, senior manager at Tata Steel sports wing,” added.
Jharkhand Badminton Association secretary K.Prabhakar Rao said, the shuttle activities would resume at Mohan Ahuja Stadium after renovation is complete. “We will prepare a list of tournaments to be conducted at the stadium,” he added.
Two big-ticket events, including National Open Athletics Championship, is expected to be staged in Jamshedpur. Tata Steel Golf Championship is also one of the fixtures scheduled in the city later this year.. To top it all, the cash-rich Indian Super League will also be back on the lush greens of JRD Tata Sports Complex..