National kickboxing championship begins in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: More than 500 competitors from 15 states are participating in the four-day 27th National Kickboxing Championship, which started on the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) campus here on December 29.

SOA chancellor Prof. Debi Prasad Ray declared the championship open as the audience was treated to some live demonstrations by kickboxing competitors. This is the fifth time that the championship is being held in Odisha.

The 26th Junior and Sub-Junior championships are also being staged alongside the senior competition. Besides Prof. Ray, the inaugural function was also attended by SOA’s acting vice-chancellor Prof. Bijay Kumar Sahu, national president of IAKO SS Harichandan, president of All Odisha Kickboxing Association Sivanand Ray, chairman of the organising committee Prabodh Mohanty, ITER’s additional dean (Student Affairs) Dr. Renu Sharma and SOA’s sports officer Sunita Barma.

Among others, Rotary district governor Prabhudat Subudhi, president of Rotary Club, Bhubaneswar Srichandan Mishra, technical director for the championship Pradyumna Behera and organising secretary Pruthwiraj Harichandan were present. The last championship was held in December 2021 at Jodhpur in Rajasthan in which Odisha had claimed the ‘Team runner-up title’.