Cuttack: The 80th National Table Tennis Championship began at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack today. As many as 35 teams, including 550 players from different parts of country and Odisha players are participating in the mega championship.
Medal winner at Commonwealth Games and Asian Games Manika Batra, senior players Sharath Kamal, Madhuriba Patkar, Olympian Ankita Das are some of the key players who will be in the limelight during the event.
"It is good that Cuttack in hosting the championship and it will help the players from across the country and Odisha to come forward and excel in the game. The state government should also come up with training grounds for players who are interested in the game in Odisha," said Batra after arriving in Bhubaneswar yesterday.
It may be noted that Odisha State Table Tennis Association (OSTTA) is hosting the championships after a gap of 18 years. The event will conclude on January 9.
“As many as 37 teams are participating in the event this year. I request the people of Cuttack and Odisha to come and enjoy the event," said Odisha State Table Tennis Association secretary, Rabindra Kumar Parida.