Jaipur: The impressive opening ceremony of the 5th Soft Hockey National Championship 2025–26 was held in a grand manner at the Astro Turf Hockey Ground, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, here on Thursday.The chief guest of the event was K K Vishnoi, Minister of State for Sports, Government of Rajasthan. Dr Ashutosh Pant presided over the ceremony. IG Sandeep Singh Chauhan, Shikha Pant, and Dr Aditya Nag were present as special guests. The event was graced by the presence of numerous dignitaries.Chief guest K K Vishnoi inaugurated the competition by playing soft hockey himself. He praised the sport of soft hockey and wished it a bright future. Encouraging the players, he said that national competitions like this provide a powerful platform for young players to advance.Players from teams of many states including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Puducherry, Rajasthan and Gujarat are participating in this national competition.The first match of the opening day was played between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh in the Senior Boys category, in which Maharashtra registered a resounding victory by defeating Madhya Pradesh 9–1.The second match in the senior girls section was played between Haryana and Puducherry, in which Puducherry blanked Haryana by a score of 7–0 and achieved a one-sided victory.Excellent display of sportsmanship, discipline and enthusiasm was seen throughout the event, due to which it is expected that soft hockey will get a new identity and strength.
