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The 133rd IndianOil Durand Cup kicks-off in Kolkata with a Grand Opening Ceremony
Kolkata, July 27, 2024:
The 133rd IndianOil Durand Cup kicked-off with high spirits and enthusiasm with a grand opening ceremony held here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. The tournament was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Shri Aroop Biswas, Hon’ble Minster of Youth Services & Sports, Housing and Power, Government of West Bengal in the august presence of Lt General Ram Chander Tiwari UYSM, AVSM SM, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command and Patron Durand Cup Organising Committee (DCOC) and Lt. General RC Srikanth, VSM, Chief of Staff, HQ Eastern Command, Chairman DCOC. The excited crowd was treated to a grand opening ceremony before the kick-off of the opening game between defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Downtown Heroes FC in which Mohun Bagan Super Giant beat Downtown Heroes FC 1-0 to win the inaugural match played at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.
Lt General RC Srikanth, VSM, Chief of Staff, HQ Eastern Command and Chairman, Durand Cup Organizing Committee, said, “We are happy and excited like everyone as the 133rd Durand Cup kicks-off here today. We are striving to make the Durand Cup bigger and better every year to forge a stronger civil-military relationship and to inspire the youth for a brighter, fitter, and productive future. We look forward to a glorious edition of the Durand Cup. On behalf of Lt Gen Ram Chander Tiwari, UYSM, AVSM, SM, GOC-in-C Eastern Command and Patron, Durand Cup Organising Committee, I wish the organising committee, the players, and everyone involved in this year’s tournament all the very best.”
Addressing the audience, Shri Aroop Biswas said, “The Durand Cup Organising Committee and the State Government have left no stone unturned to make this Durand Cup a grand success. The football-loving city of Kolkata will now be treated to some exciting action on the field in the coming days. I wish all the teams participating in the tournament the best and hope that the beautiful game of football will be played in high spirits throughout the tournament.”
The ceremony started with a daring Skydiving display by the AkashGanga Team followed by a flypast by Army and Air Force aviation wing rotary-wing Heptrs. The crowd was then treated to a colourful cultural performance by artists performing the Raibeshe, Gatka, Chhau, and Bhangra dance and martial art forms. The Assam Regiment also rendered the popular Badlu Ram Song and the programme concluded with a Fusion Dance performance.
All matches of the IndianOil Durand Cup will be broadcast LIVE on the Sony Sports Network (Sony Ten2 HD) and can also be livestreamed on the SonyLiv OTT platform.
A total of 24 teams, including a Service team from Nepal, will be seen in action across 43 matches, which will be played in the four host cities of Kokrajhar, Shillong, Jamshedpur (last two named making their debut as host cities) and Kolkata. The grand finale will be played at Kolkata on August 31st at the hallowed Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) also known as the Salt Lake Stadium.
