Shri CR Patil inaugurates UTT 86th Senior National TT Championships in Surat
Surat, Jan.19: Table tennis’ biggest event of the year, the UTT 86th Senior National Inter-State Table Tennis Championships, was declared open by Shri CR Patil, Hon’ble Minister of Jal Shakti, Government of India in a dazzling opening ceremony organised at Surat’s Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium on Sunday.
Also present in the ceremony was the president, Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) and organising chairman Shri Pramod Chaudhary and organising secretary Shri Kushal Sangtani.
The top administrative brass of Surat city viz. Surat Mayor Shri Daxesh Mavani, Shri Arvind Rana, MLA-Surat-East, shri Niranjan Zanzmera, president, Surat city BJP, Surat City Police Commissioner Shri Anupam Singh Gehlot (IPS), shri Rajan Patel, chairman of standing committee, Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), shri Paresh Patel, ex-chairman of standing committee SMC were in attendance for the inaugural function.
Other dignitaries on the dais included Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna awardee and multiple times Olympian shri A Sharath Kamal, shri Kamlesh Mehta, secretary general, Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), shri C. Gunalan, vice president, TTFI, shri Vipul Mitra, retired IAS and Chief Patron, GSTTA, shri Hari Pillai, secretary, GSTTA, shri Nishith Mehta, senior vice president, GSTTA, shri Amit Choksi, secretary, Table Tennis Association of Surat, shri Rujul Patel, treasurer, GSTTA, shri Kalpesh Thakkar, senior joint secretary, GSTTA, shri N Ganeshan, competition manager, shri Pathik Mehta, chairman, Gujarat selection committee, shri Neeraj Choksi, founder-owner NJ Group, shri Kailash Hakim, president, FOSTTA and Neeraj Jain, director, Cosco (India) Ltd, Stiga (India).
The Championship, with a total prize money of around Rs 20 lakhs, is organized by Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) and Table Tennis Association of Surat District (TTASD) under the aegis of Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) with the support of Sports Authority of India (SAI), Sports Authority of Gujarat (SAG) and Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC).
The title sponsor of the event is UTT and the event is powered by Hero, co-sponsored by NJ Group, associate sponsored by Gujarat Tourism, ONGC, Pratibha Group and Airport Authority of India. Stiga will be equipment partners while SIDS Hospital will be the medical partner.
Before declaring the Championships open, Shri Patil urged the paddlers in the stadium to continue to work hard and to target the Olympics. “Under the leadership of our hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Khel Mahakumbh event has been a success and we will do what it takes to prepare for the bidding of the 2036 Olympics Games, including getting the services of the international coaches,” the Navsari MP, Shri Patil said.