Kashmir hosts national rugby championship for first time
Monday, 26 August 2013 00:00
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SRINAGAR, JAMMU AND KASHMIR: In a first for India’s northern Jammu and Kashmir state, the senior national rugby championship was held in Srinagar city, with 20 teams from across the country vying for the trophy.
The three-day senior National Rugby 7’s championship was inaugurated by the state Governor N.N. Vohra.
“It is for the first time that the state of Jammu and Kashmir is hosting the National Rugby Championship. 20 teams from all over India are participating in this tournament,” said Imtiyaz Ahmad, a player from Jammu and Kashmir. The local’s players were happy as they feel that with such events, they get exposure and can excel in the game. The first match was played by the host team against the Kerala team.
General Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council, J. P. Singh said that apart from generating enthusiasm towards the sports, the tournament would also help the tourism sector of the state. “Here, the popularity of the sport has increased a lot. 300 to 400 players from all over the country have come here and that is a positive sign for the tourism sector as well. Students and players who are participating, their coaches, officials, they are all here. So, this would give encouragement to our tourism industry and this event has given a lot of enthusiasm to the players,” said Singh. A workshop on first aid and injuries in rugby will also be held under the supervision of doctor Aijaz Ashai, head physio of Indian rugby team, who will share his experience with the physios of the state.Kashmir was once dubbed the Switzerland of the east. It was once a Mecca for climbers, skiers, honeymooners and filmmakers drawn to the state’s soaring peaks, fruit orchards and timber houseboats bobbing on Dal Lake in Srinagar, the summer capital. Planeloads of India’s upwardly mobile middle classes have visited the picture postcard-perfect Kashmir Valley this summer, making it the busiest tourist season since the armed revolt began in 1989. In the wake of the decline in violence in India’s Kashmir, one gets to see various development activities taking place in every sector.
