Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 7 Mar: The 33rd Basketball Championship and the 45th Volleyball Championship organised under the aegis of the Public Sector Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) and hosted by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) were launched with great enthusiasm on Friday at the Indoor Stadium located at Parade Ground in Dehradun.
The four-day tournament, being held from March 6 to March 9, is witnessing participation from major public sector undertakings including ONGC, IOCL, BPCL, HPCL, CPCL, Oil India and MRPL. A total of eight teams are competing in the volleyball event, while six teams are participating in the basketball competition, showcasing their sporting talent and competitive spirit.
The tournament was inaugurated by ONGC Director (HR) Manish Patil and Chief of Human Resources Services Neeraj Kumar Sharma. Speaking on the occasion, Director (HR) Manish Patil encouraged the players and said that sports are an integral part of life. He stated that sports not only help individuals remain physically fit but also inspire the development of important values such as teamwork, discipline and leadership. He extended his best wishes to all the players for a bright future.
Chief of Human Resources Services Neeraj Kumar Sharma said that he is extremely happy and proud to witness the enthusiasm of the players participating in the competition. He remarked that sports are not confined merely to winning or losing, but also help in nurturing team spirit, discipline and cooperation. Sports, he added, strengthen not only physical fitness but also mental resilience. He further informed that ONGC runs a sports scholarship scheme to encourage talented young players.
On March 6, a total of six matches were played in the volleyball competition. In the opening match, ONGC defeated CPCL in straight sets 3–0 (25–08, 25–11, 25–09). In the second match, BPCL secured a convincing 3–0 victory over HPCL with scores of 25–11, 25–08 and 25–09. In the third match, BPCL defeated MRPL 3–0 (25–14, 25–19, 25–09). In the fourth encounter, Oil India registered a 3–0 win over IOCL (25–15, 25–16, 25–12). In the fifth match, MRPL defeated AOD 3–0 (25–15, 25–12, 25–13). In the final match of the day, ONGC delivered an impressive performance to defeat IOCL 3–0 (25–10, 25–17, 25–14).
Public Sector Sports Promotion Board Member Secretary Sabina Chaudhary said that sports are not merely a physical activity but an art of living. She remarked that on the field, the spirit of sportsmanship and dedication is far more important than victory or defeat.
Among those present on the occasion included ONGC Sports Head Nishant Kumar, international player and Volleyball In-charge Avinash Kumar Yadav, General Manager Pawan Kumar Saini, Deputy General Manager Vishal Kumar Sharma, Chief Manager and Basketball In-charge Dinesh Kumar, Basketball Federation of India Technical Director Norman Isaac, Kabaddi In-charge Jagbir Singh, Athletics In-charge Pritam Bind, Deputy General Manager Suresh Ranaut, Manager Jaiprakash Pandey, Senior Human Resources Officer Vikram Bisht, Manager Rajeev Ahuja, Mandeep Grewal, Anoop Bisht, Matbar Singh Aswal and several other officials and employees.
