Bhubaneswar: Maharashtra girls and Chhattisgarh boys emerged champion in their respective categories by winning over Chhattisgarh girls and Maharashtra boys respectively in the 31st Sub-Junior National Baseball Championship 2026, which concluded at KIIT and KISS grounds here on Friday.
However, the host Odisha girls team finished third by defeating Andhra Pradesh 11-06 runs, while Punjab boys bagged the third place by beating Delhi 09-05 runs.
The six-day championship being organized by the Baseball Association of Odisha (BAO) under the aegis of the Amateur Baseball Federation of India (ABFI), the championship witnessed outstanding performances, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm from participating teams in both boys' and girls'
categories.
Congratulating the winner Padma Shri Dr. Dillip Kumar Tirkey, President, Hockey India said “sub-junior tournament is only the beginning of your sporting career, it’s more to learn the sports than winning or losing”.
Reminding his early age, Dillip added that in my childhood not even got selected in the sports hostel in my first attempt. But ended my career as the highest capped international hockey player of our country. You young athletes remain focused on your goals and emphasize that success in sports can only be achieved through hard work, dedication, patience, and discipline”.
The closing ceremony was graced by Padma Shri Dr. Dillip Kumar Tirkey, President, Hockey India, Samir Mohanty, President, Odisha Olympic Association, Niranjan Patnaik, Chairman, (BAO), Dr. Prabodh Mohanty, President (BAO), Pankaj Lochan Mohanty, President (ABFI), Arvind Kumar, Secretary General (ABFI) and Sibananda Pradhan, Secretary (BAO).
