Shillong, August 7: The Border Security Force (BSF) Meghalaya on Friday organised district-level basketball and junior football tournaments in Shillong and Tura under the Sports for Peace and Development (SPANDAN) Programme of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), as part of the Force’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
The simultaneous sporting events were aimed at encouraging youth participation in sports, promoting discipline and sportsmanship, and strengthening community engagement through healthy competition.
In Shillong, the District-Level SPANDAN League Basketball Tournament was organised by the 153 Battalion BSF at the Indoor Basketball Court of St. Anthony’s Higher Secondary School. Inspector General, Frontier Headquarters BSF Meghalaya, Om Prakash Upadhaya, attended the inaugural ceremony as the chief guest and interacted with the participating teams and young players.
Addressing the gathering, Upadhaya encouraged the youth to pursue excellence while upholding the values of discipline, teamwork, sportsmanship and healthy competition. He stressed that sports play a crucial role in building confidence, developing character and nurturing responsible and disciplined citizens.
The opening basketball match between St. Anthony’s Higher Secondary School and Army Public School witnessed an impressive display of talent and determination, with St. Anthony’s Higher Secondary School emerging victorious.
Meanwhile, in Tura, the District-Level SPANDAN League (Junior) Football Tournament was organised by the 144 Battalion BSF at Don Bosco Higher Secondary School. Deputy Inspector General, SHQ Tura, Lalit Mohan Sharma, inaugurated the tournament as the chief guest and interacted with the young footballers.
Sharma motivated the participants to strive for excellence while adhering to the principles of discipline, teamwork, fair play and sportsmanship. The opening football match between St. Luke’s Higher Secondary School, Tura, and Don Bosco Higher Secondary School, Tura, turned out to be an exciting contest, with St. Luke’s Higher Secondary School securing victory.
BSF Meghalaya said the successful conduct of both tournaments reflects the Force’s continued commitment to engaging with youth and local communities through sports. Under the SPANDAN initiative, BSF aims to promote sports as an effective platform for fostering peace, unity, discipline, healthy lifestyles and the overall development of young people while strengthening the bond between the Force and the communities it serves.
