Four day long 52nd Shanti Swarup BhatnagarMemorial Tournament inagurated at CSIR IHBT Palampur

The inaugural function of the four day long 52nd Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar
Memorial Tournament (SSBMT) Outdoor Final was held on 6 February 2025 at
the CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur with great
enthusiasm. This national-level tournament for CSIR laboratories is organized
under the aegis of the CSIR Sports Promotion Board.
The chief guest of the inaugural programme, Dr. Sanjeev Khosla, President of
the Sports Promotion Board, CSIR, and Director CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh,
provided a gist of activities of the board and inspired all teams to play with
sportsmanship.
In his welcome address, Dr. Sudesh Kumar Yadav, Director CSIR-IHBT apprised
that sixteen CSIR laboratories from across the country are participating in the
tournament. These include: CSIR-CCMB, Hyderabad; CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow; CSIR-
CECRI, Karaikudi; CSIR-CEERI, Pilani; CSIR-CGCRI, Kolkata; CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad;
CSIR-IIIM, Jammu; CSIR-IIP, Dehradun; CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh; CSIR-NAL,
Bengaluru; CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow; CSIR-NCL, Pune; CSIR-NGRI, Telangana; CSIR-
NIO, Goa; CSIR-NIScPR, New Delhi; & CSIR-NPL, New Delhi. He highlighted the
growing importance of sports and appealed to everyone to enjoy them with
team spirit.
On the inaugural occasion, Major General KK Singh highlighted the importance
of such events in building teams and discipline. He complimented the institute
for the initiative and wished all the players a great time and bonding.
National kabaddi player Ms. Jyoti Thakur and Bhavana congratulated the CSIR-
IHBT for organizing this competition in Himachal Pradesh and encouraged the
players. Mr. Hem Singh Thakur, former national volleyball player, also
extended his best wishes and hoped for excellent games.
All the participating teams performed a synchronized march-past and took a
Sports Pledge. The chief guest and all the esteemed guests declared the games
open.
The four-day SSBMT tournament (07 to 10 February 2025) will feature a total
of 20 cricket and 20 volleyball league matches, followed by semi-finals and
finals on February 9 and 10. Additionally, a women’s cricket match will also be
played.
During the four-days, cultural evenings will also be organized featuring
performances by renowned artists from the state as well as by the researchers
of the Institute.