Bhubaneswar, Oct 10 (IANS) Odisha Sports Minister Suryabanshi Suraj expressed pride and optimism ahead of the 28th ITTF-ATTU Asian Table Tennis Team Championships 2025, starting Saturday.

“We are simultaneously organising a national and an international event. The 40th Junior Nationals is already underway at Kalinga Stadium and will conclude on the 14th of this month. At the same time, for the first time, Odisha is hosting the prestigious Asian Table Tennis Team Championships,” the minister said.

The 40th National Junior Athletics Championships are also being hosted by Odisha, at the same venue in Bhubaneswar, with the joint support of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), Odisha Athletics Association, and the Sports and Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha.

Approximately 2,000 athletes from various states across the country are participating in this national event. Suraj added that organising two major tournaments simultaneously demonstrates Odisha’s increasing competence in sports management, saying:

“It’s a matter of pride that we can conduct two big events within the same period. This will enhance our experience in hosting multiple sporting events simultaneously. We are strengthening our team’s capacity — physically, mentally, and administratively — to manage and deliver large-scale events efficiently.”

The minister further expressed hope that with this experience, Odisha will continue to attract more major national and international sporting events in the future.

The Asian Table Tennis Team Championships will be staged here at the renowned Kalinga Stadium from October 11 to 15. The event will also serve as a qualifier for the 2026 ITTF World Team Championships, with the top 13 teams from each category securing spots.

Odisha is hosting its first Asian-level table tennis event, although the state previously hosted the 2019 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. Bhubaneswar, which has hosted several major sporting events recently, is also known as India’s sports capital.

— IANS

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