Jorhat hosts two mega tennis tournaments

JORHAT - Assam’s Jorhat District recently played host to two mega tennis tournaments, which saw the participation of players from across the country.

The staging these two events - the Asian Juniors, a five-day national level tennis tournament for under-14 boys and girls and the International Tennis Federation Senior tennis tournament-indicates that militant activity is on the decline and that the situation in the region is improving rapidly.

Both tournaments were held under the aegis of the All India Tennis Federation. Sixty-four players, including 32 boys and 32 girls participated in the tournament.

Various government and private agencies in the region sponsored the event.

“The conduct of this Asian Juniors is of great benefit to the players of Jorhat and Assam and also for the players of northeast India as they will get the experience and the exposure by participating in such a quality event. This helps them to improve on their game also,” said Raktim Saikia, General Secretary of the All Assam Tennis Association.

“I really enjoyed here and had a great time. If such tournaments are held in Nagaland also, then the youth there can also get good exposure,” said Gaigeng Pamei, a participant from Nagaland.

The tournament for senior players was held between November 8 and 13, and 40 players from different parts of the country in the age group of 35+, 45+ and 55+ participated.

“Participating in this tournament is great for me. And, I hope the organizers again conduct such kind of tournaments and I hope I can play next time also,” said Gauri Shankar, a Delhi participant.

“I really feel good here and the weather is good and the organizing committee has done a good job,” said Ninda Nanda Ghosh, a participant from Maharashtra.

“I feel great after coming to Jorhat and more events like these should be conducted here,” added Nikhil Passi, another participant from Maharashtra.

The northeast has an extremely rich pool of sporting talent that has made India proud at various international levels. And events like these will definitely help sportspersons from the region get some exposure; hone their skills and gain confidence. (ANI)