Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 72nd Senior National Volleyball Championship on Sunday.
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The inauguration of the event, which will conclude on January 11, will be done virtually at 12 noon, officials said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister and Uttar Pradesh Volleyball Association president Brajesh Pathak will be present at the Sigra Stadium in Varanasi for the tournament.
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A total of 58 teams (men and women) from across the country are participating in the tournament. Observers from the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) will also be present during the championship.
UP Volleyball Association secretary Sunil Kumar Tiwari said the championship is being held in Varanasi for the first time. Thirty men’s teams and 28 women’s teams will participate in the sporting event, he added.
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Apart from the Railways team, a combined team of all three wings of the armed forces (Navy, Army and Air Force) will also take part in the tournament.
The association said UP is hosting the championship after 1984. The players selected from the championship will go on to represent India in international matches, it added.
Organising Committee president and Varanasi Mayor Ashok Tiwari said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed between the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Uttar Pradesh Sports Department for the Centre of Excellence at the Sigra Sports Complex. The official mascots of the event—Nandi and the Dolphin—have already been released by the organising committee.
At least 1,044 players — 540 men and 504 women — from across the country will participate in the championship.