Kolkata: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Minister of State for Railways inaugurated the 61st All India Railways(Men & Women) Table Tennis Championship – 2013 at BNR Officers’ Club, S.E.Railway Headquarters, Garden Reach, this morning (26.7.13) in presence of G.C.Agarwal, General Manager, South Eastern Railway and Radhe Shyam, General Manager, Metro Railway. The Championship would be held from July 26 to 30, 2013.

As many as 12 Zonal Railways in Men’s Team Event are participating in the Championship, viz. South Eastern, Central, Eastern, South Central, Western, South Western, South East Central, Northern, Southern, North East Frontier, North Central and East Coast Railways.

In the Women’s Team Event, six Zonal Railways, including South Eastern, Eastern, Metro, Central, Western and North East Frontier Railways are taking part in the Championship.

Altogether more than 100 sportspersons from different Zonal Railways including Nationally and Internationally reputed players will be taking part in the championship.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, while inaugurating the Championship, said that Indian Railways, being a great organization, have always taken the lead in promoting sports.
The Railway’s sportspersons have been performing well not only in the Railway Championships, National Championships and other domestic tournaments but there are many who have brought also laurels to the country in international meets in various disciplines. These outstanding sportspersons have, in turn, inspired others to excel further. Chowdhury also spoke about the success of the railway’s sports persons in the London Olympics.
 

Chowdhury added that the Indian Railways has now 19 Padmashrees, 3 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardees, 146 Arjuna Awardees, 6 Dronacharya awardees and 2 Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar under its belt.