Durand Cup: President Inaugurated Durand Cup And Said- We Will Have To Work Together For The Upliftment of Indian football.
President unveiling the Durand Cup trophy
– Photo: PIB
President Draupadi Murmu on Wednesday launched the Durand Cup 2024. During this, she unveiled the trophies of the tournament at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. These include Durand Cup, Presidents Cup and Shimla Trophy.
The 133rd season of Asia’s oldest and the world’s fifth oldest football tournament will begin on July 27. Its matches will be played in four cities – Kolkata, Kokrajhar in Assam, Shillong in Meghalaya and Jamshedpur in Jharkhand.
The President talked about the upliftment of Indian football
President Murmu said, “Football is the most popular sport in the world. Professional football players entertain people. Currently Euro 2024 is going on and it is being watched all over the world, it is in the news everywhere. All the stakeholders in the country should work together to uplift the sport in India.”
The President recalled the contribution of the Durand Cup, named after its founder Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, to the country’s football tradition. Sir Henry was Foreign Secretary of India from 1884 to 1894.
The President recalled the history of the tournament
“It is the oldest football tournament in India and dates back over 135 years,” the President said about the tournament, first held in Shimla in 1888. “The President’s Cup was presented to the Durand Cup winners in 1950 by the first President of India, Rajendra Prasad.”
Eight teams – the top team in the group and the two best second-placed teams will qualify for the knockout stage. Bangladesh and Bhutan Army teams are also participating in the upcoming tournament. The final will be held at Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
President Droupadi Murmu played badminton with ace shuttler Saina Nehwal at the Badminton Court in Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi today.
Rashtrapati Bhavan tweets, “…As part of the ‘Her Story – My Story’ lecture series featuring women Padma Awardees, Ms. Saina Nehwal, an iconic… pic.twitter.com/fu0pNM1rqr
— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2024
President played badminton
After this program, President Murmu was seen playing badminton with top badminton player Saina Nehwal at the badminton court in Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi. This information was given by Rashtrapati Bhavan.