Sargun-Saroj/Face2News/Chandigarh
The 51st All India Inter-Institutional Table Tennis Tournament 2024 concluded with a grand closing ceremony at the CGA Golf Range, Chandigarh. The event, which saw thrilling matches across multiple categories, was graced by distinguished guests and highlighted by an extraordinary cultural performance.
The opening ceremony featured a mesmerizing flute performance by the renowned Flute Sisters, Debopriya and Suchismita Chatterjee, students of Padma Vibhushan Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. They were joined by their talented team members, including tabla player Amit Mishra, rhythmic expert Dipesh Varma, guitarist Rahul Deo, and music arranger Amit Vilas Pandhye.
(SUBHEAD)The tournament included exciting matches in various categories such as Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles, and Team Championships for both men and women. The competition was fierce, with players showcasing exceptional skills and sportsmanship.
WINNERS AND KEY HIGHLIGHTS
• Men’s Singles :
o Winner: G. Sathiyan (PSPB)
o Runner-up: Manav Thakkar (PSPB)
o Third place: Sourav Saha (PSPB) and Manush Shah (RBI)
Women’s Singles :
o Winner: Swastika Ghosh (AAI)
o Runner-up: Sreeja Akula
o Third place: Diya Chitale (RBI) and Krittwika Sinha Roy (PSPB)
Men’s Doubles :
o Winners: Akash Pal/Ronit Bhanja (RSPB)
o Runners-up: Soumyajit Ghosh/Sanil Shetty (PSPB)
o Third place: Punit Biswas/Yeshwanth and Anthony Amalraj/Jubin Kumar
Women’s Doubles :
o Winners: Jennifer Varghese/Taneesha Kotecha (Mah)
o Runners-up: Swastika Ghosh/Oishiki Joardar (AAI)
o Third place: Poymantee Baisya/Sutirrtha Mukherjee and Prapti Sen/Kaushani Nath
Mixed Doubles:
o Winners: Diya Chitale/Manush Shah (RBI)
o Runners-up: Yashaswini Ghorpade/Harmeet Desai (PSPB)
o Third place: Akash Pal/Poymantee Baisya and Ronit Bhanja/Sutirrtha Mukherjee
Team Championships :
o Men’s: *RSPB defeated PSPB* (Akash Pal/Jeet Chandra/Ronit Bhanja (RSPB) and Manav Thakkar/Harmeet Desai/G. Sathiyan (PSPB))
o Women’s: *PSPB defeated RSPB* (Yashaswini Ghorpade/Reeth Rishya/Sayali Wani (PSPB) and Anusha Kutumbale/Sutirtha Mukherjee/Moumita Dutta (RSPB)
PRIZE MONEY
• Men's Singles and Women's Singles, the winner receives ₹1,12,000, while the runner-up gets ₹56,000. Semi-finalists each receive ₹28,000, and quarter-finalists earn ₹14,000 each. Those who lose in the pre-quarterfinals are awarded ₹7,000 each, with eight players sharing this amount.
• For Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles, and Mixed Doubles, the winning pair receives ₹32,000, and the runners-up share ₹18,000. The semi-finalist pairs are awarded ₹9,000 each. This structured distribution ensures recognition of achievements at all competitive levels.
• For Team Championships, the winners were awarded ₹2 lakh, the highest prize ever given in an Institutional Championship. The runners-up teams received ₹1 lakh each, and the bronze medalists took home ₹50,000 each.
The closing ceremony was attended by distinguished guests, including Sh. T. Rabi Sankar, Deputy Governor of RBI; Vandana Khare, CGM of RBI; Puneet Pancholy, CGM of RBI; Regional Director of RBI Chandigarh, Vivek Srivastava; the CGM of NABARD; Anup Gupta, former Mayor of Chandigarh and President of the Chandigarh Table Tennis Association; senior police officers; and other esteemed officials.
The RBI extends its heartfelt appreciation to all participants, organizers, and supporters who contributed to the success of this year’s tournament. The event was a true celebration of table tennis talent and sportsmanship.
