Kolkata, Sep 11 (IANS) The 91st All India Railway Athletics Championship 2026 got underway at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Ground in Salt Lake, Kolkata, on Friday, September 11, 2026.

The championship is being organised by the Eastern Railway Sports Association (ERSA) for the second consecutive year under the auspices of the Sports Promotion Board.

The three-day-long tournament was declared open by Gitika Pandey, general manager, ER, in the presence of Neeraj Verma, principal chief operations manager, ER and president, ERSA, and other top officials.

Twenty-four teams from various zonal railways, production units and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) are participating in the championship. There will be nearly 500 athletes for the various track and field events, officials said.

Pandey, in her opening address, highlighted the importance of sportspersons’ spirit. Participation in a true sportsperson-like manner is more important than winning, she said. She also appreciated the efforts put in by the ERSA in organising such a pan-India event.

The general manager also handed over the medals to the winners of the 1,500-metre race (men), which was among the first events to be held.

Several top sportspersons and coaches were present during the inaugural ceremony. They included Arjuna Awardees Joseph Abraham, Jitendra Kumar, J J Shobha, Pappu Yadav, Soma Biswas and Saraswati Saha. Padma Shri recipient and Arjuna Awardee L Bombayla Devi was also one of those present. So was Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award winner Mohammad Ali Qamar. Olympians Sanjay Ray and Bhawana Jat also attended the event. Apart from the 1,500-metre races, events such as marathon, javelin throw, High jump, discus throw, relay, shot put, hurdles, hammer throw, decathlon and heptathlon are among the events to be held till September 13 for both men and women.

“Indian Railways has always patronised sports, and several of our athletes and other sportspersons have won honours for the country at international events. Some among these athletes are also likely to leave for the Asian Games in Japan later this month. This tournament will be good practice for them. ERSA will leave no stone unturned to make the championship a success,” an official said.

–IANS

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