Anantnag, Aug 25: Deputy Commissioner (DC), Anantnag, Dr. Bilal Mohiuddin Bhat today inaugurated the Inter-District Provincial Level (IDPL) Under-17 Girls Cricket Tournament at Government Higher Secondary School, Bijbehara.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by SE R&B, Syed Ishfaq Ahmad, ACR, Tariq Ahmad Malik and DYSSO, Zahoor Ahmad Wani, besides sports officials, players and accompanying staff.
The tournament is being organised by Department of Youth Services & Sports (YSS), J&K and District Administration, Anantnag, with the objective of providing young girl cricketers a competitive platform and identifying promising sporting talent from across the districts.
Speaking on the occasion, the DC appreciated YSS Department for organising the tournament and providing young girls such opportunities to excel in sports. He interacted with the participants and encouraged them to play with passion, discipline and dedication for making best from from such bigger platforms.
Emphasizing the importance of sports and games, Dr. Bilal said that these engagements have active role in youth empowerment by inculcating discipline, leadership and other positive values among them. These activities are instrumental in keeping youth away from drugs and other negative influences besides promoting the cause of a healthy society, he remarked.
With 20 district teams participating in the tournament, the host district has made comprehensive arrangements for players and accompanying officials of the visiting teams to conduct the mega sports event in a comfortable, smooth and well-organised manner.
The tournament is being conducted at multiple well-maintained venues, with matches being played on a league basis, providing each team adequate opportunities to showcase their talent and compete at the provincial level. A dedicated selection process through experienced selectors and officials has also been planned following the conclusion of the tournament.
The tournament will be helpful in promoting women’s cricket, strengthening grassroots sports and identifying sporting talent, while providing young athletes meaningful opportunities to compete, perform and progress in their sporting careers.