Young Athletes Vie for Honours at State School Rugby, Cycling Championships ;

70th State School Championships get underway in Bhubaneswar; competitions held in U-14 and U-17 categories

Dillip Kumar Pattnaik

BHUBANESWAR, OCTOBER 5: The 70th State School Rugby and Cycling Championships–2026 commenced at PM Government High School, IRC Village, Bhubaneswar, on Sunday, bringing together promising young athletes from different districts of Odisha for a state-level sporting contest.
The championship is being organised in the Under-14 and Under-17 categories for both boys and girls, providing schoolchildren with an opportunity to compete at the State level and showcase their sporting abilities.

Khordha District Education Officer and president of the School Sports Association, Sonamika Ray, presided over the inaugural ceremony. Welcoming the participating teams, officials and guests, she emphasised the need to encourage students to take part in sports alongside their academic pursuits.
Assistant Director of Physical Education Jyoti Prasad Parida presented a report on the championship and briefed the gathering about the arrangements made for conducting the competitions.
Director of Secondary Education Jugaleswari Das, who attended the inaugural function as the chief guest, formally declared the championship open. Addressing the young participants, she said sports formed an essential part of school education and contributed significantly to the overall development of students.

“Sports, along with education, play an important role in the overall development of students. Regular participation in sports helps inculcate discipline, self-confidence, leadership qualities and a competitive spirit among young people,” she said.
Priyadarshi Mishra, president of the Odisha Rugby Football Association, attended the programme as the special guest. He encouraged the participants to compete with discipline, dedication and a positive sporting spirit and urged them to make the most of the opportunity to participate in a State-level championship.
Joint Director of Secondary Education Chandramani Nayak, Deputy Director of Sports Jyoti Prasad Parida and In-charge District Project Office Officer Sankarshan Pradhan attended the ceremony as guests of honour. Host school Headmaster Pradipta Kumar Behera was also present.
The championship flag was hoisted during the inaugural ceremony, following which the participating teams took part in a disciplined march-past. The event reflected the enthusiasm and competitive spirit of the young athletes representing various districts.

Students of the host school presented a cultural programme, adding colour to the inaugural function. The ceremony concluded with the march-out of the participating contingents.
The State-level championship is expected to provide an important platform for identifying and nurturing emerging sporting talent among schoolchildren. Besides offering competitive exposure, the event seeks to promote discipline, teamwork, leadership, endurance and self-confidence among young athletes.
Rugby and cycling require physical fitness, stamina, concentration and mental resilience. Competing against athletes from different districts is expected to help the participants test their abilities, gain valuable experience and develop greater confidence in competitive sporting environments.
Several officials and members of the organising team were associated with the arrangements for the championship. Among them were Rimabala Nayak, Rupali Senapati, Niharika Panda, Anita Kumari Nayak, Tofan Kumar Rautaray, Deba Prasad Sahu, Sibaram Senapati, Satyanarayan Chhattoi and Kishore Lenka.
Niranjan Satapathy conducted the proceedings of the inaugural ceremony.