Kotpad: The interstate football tournament was celebrated at the local Bhairav Padia under the aegis of Kotpad Sporting Club. Today’s match was played between the Bhawanipatna team and the Bargarh team, in which Bhawanipatna emerged victorious with a 2-0 win in a competitive match.
A total of eight teams participated in the tournament, including Bargarh, Rourkela, Balangir, Titilagarh, Bhawanipatna, Jharkhand Royal Club, Sunabeda XI, and Kotpad Sporting Club. The event was graced by the chief guest, Kotpad MLA Rupu Bhatara, and NAC Chairman M. Shankar Rao. The special guests included Kotpad Block Chairperson Kamala Bhatara, Kotpad College Principal Dr. Sheshananda Mishra, Block Vice-Chairman Tapan Panigrahi, former MLA Chandrasekhar Majhi, NAC Vice-Chairperson M. Santoshi, Water Panchayat Chairman Biren Bishoi, Sandip Dhowan, Asadullah Khan, Ward 13 Member Tiku Bishoi, Ward 8 Member Salma Begum, and Shiv Panigrahi.
Additionally, the managers of all eight teams, including Santosh Mishra, Muna Khan, Bikas Mohanty, M.D. Salim, Bikas Pattnayak, Tal Hotel Kalu, Raj Mohanty, Samay Marandi, and B.A.C.I.B., along with the members of the Sporting Club’s management committee, were present. The event was conducted by Sporting Club Secretary Sitanath Bishwal and committee members. The commentary was handled by M.D. Asu, Prashant Panda, and Hemant Patra.
Notably, the final match of the tournament was played on Friday, February 28, 2025. The winning team, Bhawanipatna, was awarded ₹45,000 and a trophy sponsored by Sai Auto Kotpad. The runner-up team, Bargarh, received ₹35,000 and a trophy, which was provided by Tiku Bishoi in memory of his late father, Basudev Bishoi.