Gandhinagar: The 28th Inter IIT Staff Sports Meet concluded at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) on December 29, 2023. The six-day-long exhilarating event brought out the best of the athletic abilities of more than 1500 faculty and staff members as they competed against each other with a fine balance of grit and camaraderie.
The closing ceremony was held on Friday with Nimisha C, the Indian para-athlete, who has also won Gold medal in the women’s long jump T47 event at the Asian Para Games, as the chief guest. She appreciated all the faculty and staff members for showcasing extraordinary athletic spirit even at their age above 40s or 50s and congratulated all players. She expressed hope of bringing glory to India in the upcoming Paris Paralympic Games 2024.
With the highest tally of 42 points, IIT Bombay won the Overall General Championship Trophy of the Inter IIT Staff Sports Meet 2023. The General Championship Trophy in the Women’s category was jointly bagged by IIT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur, and IIT Delhi clinched the General Championship Trophy in the Men’s category. From IIT Gandhinagar, the Institute’s Squash team, comprising Prof Harish P M, Prof Pratyush Dayal, Prof Jaison Manjaly and Mr. Shashank Yadav, won the Gold medal, and Ms. Laxmi Hirani won the Silver medal in Shot Put.
Ms. Nimisha C; Prof Rajat Moona, Director of IITGN and Chairperson of the Inter IIT Sports Board; Prof Sivapriya Kirubakaran, Dean of Student Affairs at IITGN and Chairperson of the Organizing Committee of the Inter IIT Sports Meet 2023; Prof Abhijit Mishra, Head of Sports at IITGN and Convener of the Inter IIT Sports Meet 2023; and Mr. Dinesh Parmar, Senior Physical Training Instructor at IITGN and Organizing Secretary of the Inter IIT Sports Meet 2023; awarded medals and trophies to winners in various categories and appreciated the sporting spirit displayed by all the teams during the games.
The event was inaugurated on December 24, 2023, in the presence of former Indian professional footballer Jatin Singh Bisht as the chief guest. More than 1500 staff members from all 23 IITs faced each other in a plethora of sports events, i.e. Athletics (such as Running, Discus Throw, Javelin Throw, Long Jump, Shot Put, Triple Jump, etc.), Football, Cricket, Squash, Basketball, Tennis, Volleyball, Badminton, and Table Tennis.
The next Inter IIT Staff Sports Meet will be hosted by IIT Kanpur in 2024.