File photo of the NIAPA Northeast Open Table Tennis Tournament held at the NIAPA stadium in Chümoukedima in 2025.
Kohima, August 26 (MExN): The Inter-Department Table Tennis Tournament 2026 will be held from September 4 to 5 at the Indoor TT Stadium, Officers Hill, Kohima, organised by the NIAPA Khelo India Centre (KIC), Chümoukedima, in collaboration with the Department of Youth Resources and Sports, Nagaland.
The tournament will feature team and singles events in an open and gender-neutral format aimed at encouraging wider participation among government employees across departments.
The organisers said the initiative seeks to provide an inclusive sporting platform for government employees to compete, interact and promote sportsmanship, while also enhancing the recognition and prominence of table tennis in the state.
The team event will follow a league-cum-knockout format comprising two singles and one doubles match, while the singles event will be played on a knockout basis. All matches will be conducted on a best-of-five basis.
The winners of the team event will receive Rs 20,000 and citations, while the runners-up will get Rs 15,000, third place Rs 10,000 and fourth place Rs 5,000.
A distinctive feature of the tournament is that each participating department will be allowed to engage one state- or national-level player to represent its team.
The initiative is intended to raise the competitive standard of the tournament while providing professional players an opportunity to receive support and remuneration through their participation in the two-day event.
The NIAPA KIC expressed gratitude to the Department of Youth Resources and Sports for its collaboration and said the partnership would help promote participation and strengthen the spirit of sportsmanship among government employees.
Beyond promoting table tennis, the tournament is intended to provide employees from different departments an opportunity to connect outside their regular workplace responsibilities, build relationships and exchange experiences, while contributing to the development of the sport in Nagaland.
The entry fee is Rs 3,000 per team, and the last date for submission of forms is September 2.
Interested participants can contact 92337 22116 or 98564 46674, or email neperformingarts@gmail.com for registration and further information.
Meanwhile, the NIAPA Khelo India Centre, Chümoukedima, continues its grassroots sports development initiatives by providing free table tennis training to children below 14 years of age from Chümoukedima. The centre remains open to young participants interested in taking up the sport and developing their skills.
