Women’s weightlifting championship opens in Dharamsala

The four-day All-India Inter Zonal Women’s Weightlifting Competition, an initiative of Association of Indian Universities, at the behest of Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) was inaugurated in SAI Indoor Stadium, Dharamsala, by Kangra MP Dr Rajiv Bhardwaj. The programme was presided over by SP Bansal, Vice-Chancellor of CUHP, while Sorokhaibam Vindhyarani Devi (weightlifter, Netaji Subhash National Sports Institute, Patiala) was present as the special guest.

There are 320 players from 78 different universities across the country participating in this three-day championship. The Kangra MP said the country and society can progress only when its youth is disciplined. According to him, discipline can be learned the most from sports grounds. Addressing the women players, he said that today, the thinking of society towards daughters had changed.

The VC, presiding over the programme, said despite the lack of resources, the university was organising the competition for the fourth time in a row. He made a special mention of the struggles undergone by Sorokhaibam Vindhyarani Devi and also shared her success story with the players. He said that weightlifting was not just a sport about lifting weights; it symbolises the spirit of lifting hopes and dreams. Giving the example of Karnammalleswari and Mirabai Chanu, he said that power does not come from gender, but from determination.