Tripura University to host first national women's basketball meet

Tripura University will host its first national-level women's basketball tournament from Wednesday, November 11, with about 600 players from 40 universities across 14 states expected on its campus near Agartala for five days of competition.

The university's in-charge Registrar, Professor Samir Kumar Sil, announced the event at the Agartala Press Club on Tuesday. He said universities from across the country had shown interest in taking part.

Opening on Wednesday

Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu will inaugurate the tournament at 5 pm on November 11 on the university campus, with Vice-Chancellor Professor Debabrata Das presiding.

The opening ceremony will also honour two of Tripura's best-known sportspersons: Padma Shri gymnast Dipa Karmakar, who finished fourth in the vault at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and Mantu Debnath, the first sportsperson from the state to receive the Arjuna Award. The university said it hopes their presence will encourage young athletes, especially women, to take up competitive sport.

Why it matters for Tripura

Professor Sil said the tournament is part of the university's effort to promote sport alongside academics and create more opportunities for women in organised competition. Bringing teams from 14 states together would also encourage exchange between players and institutions, he said.

Tripura has hosted few national university-level events of this size, and the meet will test the university's ability to organise one. Organisers expect it to be among the larger university women's basketball competitions held in the North East, a region where players often have limited exposure to national-level competition.

What to expect

The tournament runs for five days on the Tripura University campus at Suryamaninagar, on the outskirts of Agartala. With teams from 40 universities, matches are expected to run across the week before the final rounds.

Organisers said the event is meant to give emerging women players a stage to show their skills and teamwork against strong opposition from other parts of the country, and to strengthen sporting ties between institutions. Hosting players and officials from 14 states will also bring visitors to Agartala during the week.

For players from the North East, a home tournament of this level offers a rare chance to compete nationally without long and costly travel. Officials hope that more such events will help identify and nurture talent from the state and the wider region.