Jalandhar: The 53rd National Sports Championship of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) began with a grand opening ceremony at Lovely Professional University (LPU) today. The event is being attended by 1,114 athletes – 460 boys and 654 girls – from 25 KVS regions across the country. Former IPS officer and hockey Olympian Surinder Singh Sodhi attended the opening ceremony as the chief guest. Special guests included Dr Saurabh Lakhanpal, Senior Dean, Student Welfare Division at LPU and Preeti Saxena, Deputy Commissioner, KVS Regional Office, Chandigarh. The ceremony began with the traditional lamp lighting and flag hoisting, followed by a march past by 25 contingents from the participating regions.
Chief guest Sodhi took the salute and later addressed the students, stressing on the important role of sports in student life. He lauded KVS’ commitment to promote sports and highlighted LPU’s exceptional facilities as a catalyst to encourage wider participation in sports across the country. The event also witnessed cultural performances by school children which enthralled the audience. The inaugural ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks by Assistant Commissioner PC Tiwari, KVS Regional Office, Chandigarh, followed by the national anthem. The sports fair, which will go on for the next five days, will witness tough competitions in Kho-Kho, badminton and shooting in which young athletes from across the country will showcase their energy and enthusiasm.
