Bhubaneswar: The 73rd All India Police Hockey Championship kick-started at the Kalinga Stadium here today.
According to an official press release, three matches were held on the opening day of the tournament.
The first match was played between BSF (Border Security Force) and Telangana Police. In this match, BSF defeated Telangana Police by a significant margin of 9-2 goals.
The second match was held between the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Uttarakhand Police. ITBP emerged victorious by defeating Uttarakhand Police with a 9-1 goal margin.
The third match was contested between Jharkhand Police and Chhattisgarh Police. Jharkhand Police won the match by defeating Chhattisgarh Police with a 4-1 goal margin.
Several senior officials attended the matches and encouraged the players. These included Arun Kumar Ray, Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services; Sudhanshu Sarangi, Director General, Fire Services and Home Guards & Civil Defence; Amitabh Thakur, Transport Commissioner; Dayal Gangwar, Additional Director General (Headquarters) and Vice President of the Organizing Committee; Rajesh Kumar, Additional Director General (Armed) and Vice President of the Organizing Committee; and Anup Kumar Sahu, IG (Training) and Secretary of the Organizing Committee.
They participated as guests in the matches and extended their encouragement to the players.