KOKRAJHAR, JULY 22: The three magnificent and prestigious Durand Cup 2023 Trophies were unveiled in a grand ceremony being held at Bodofa Cultural Complex here on Saturday that witnessed huge gathering of sports loving citizens and organisers across the region.
The 132nd edition of the Durand Cup football tournament, which was organized by the Indian Armed Forces on behalf of the three Services, is the only Cup tournament in the country which pits Service Teams along with the top teams from different divisions of Indian football arena.
The three trophies unique to the tournament are, the Durand Cup (a rolling trophy and the original prize), the Shimla Trophy (also a rolling trophy, first given by the resident of Shimla in 1904) and the President’s Cup (for permanent keep and first presented by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, India’s first President, in 1956).
President of All India Football Federation (AIFF), Kalyan Chaubey graced the event as chief guest and unveiled the trophy in the presence of chief executive member of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), Promod Boro, Assam cabinet ministers – Nandita Gorlosa, Urkhao Gwra Brahma, chief of staff, Gajraj Corps Maj General Dinesh Hooda, vice chairman of Durand Organising Committee Major General M Mahendroo, General Officer Commanding Red Horns Division Maj General S Murugesan, several dignataries among others.
The championship will be formally kicked-off on August 3 and will be held in three venues including Kolkata, Guwahati and Kokrajhar. The Guwahati leg will begin on August 4 while the matches at Kokrajhar will kick off on August 5 where Bodoland FC will take on Rajasthan United FC in the opening game.
A total of nine matches including one Quarter Final Match will be played at Kokrajhar.
This year the Durand Cup will have 24 teams including all 12 Indian Super League (ISL) teams and Service teams from Bangladesh and Nepal.
Tournament is set to kick-off on August 03, 2023 at Kolkata with Kokrajhar hosting nine matches including one Quarter Final Match.
All matches will be played at the SAl stadium, Kokrajhar.
The Quarter final in Kokrajhar is scheduled on 24 August 2023 and the final match is scheduled on 03 September 2023 in Kolkata.
Notably, Kokrajhar- the city of peace is playing host to the Durand Cup for the first time.
During it’s tour of the City of Peace, the trophies were escorted by 30 bikers, including 5 lady bikers.
The trophies will be travelling to Kathmandu & Dhaka, before embarking in Kolkata, the venue for the finals from the Kokrajhar-the city of peace.
Kokrajhar was the fourteenth stop in the tour. Before embarking upon Kokrajhar, the trophies have already visited the cities of Dehradun, Udhampur, Jaipur, Pune, Mumbai, Karwar, Ezhimala, Kochi, Guwahati and Shillong. Trophies will also visit Kathmandu and Dhaka, before flagging-in at Kolkata, the venue of the finals. Trophy tour of Kokrajhar city escorted by 30 Bikers including five lady bikers visited places like Pragati Bhawan, Civil Hospital (RNB Road), KDSA Playground, Habrubari and SAl Complex among others.
This year the Durand Cup will have 24 teams including all 12 Indian Super League (ISL) teams Service teams from Bangladesh and Nepal, will also be participating in the legacy tournament. Last occasion when the foreign teams participated in the tournament was 27 years ago. The Bodoland FC will be taking part for the first time in Durand Cup which is a rare feat for the local club of Kokrajhar.
Matches in Kokrajhar will start on 05 August at SAl stadium with a spectacular opening ceremony wherein for the first time in the history of Kokrajhar, special events like fly past by Air Force aircrafts, Sky Diving and display of Bodo cultural dance by local artists and martial ats by Indian Army will be organised. The event will be graced by the presence of Hon’ble Raksha Mantri and many dignitaries from civil and the Army.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Kalyan Chaubey complimented the government of Bodoland Territorial Region for making exceptional progress in promotion of sports in recent times with the young athletes representing Indian teams across disciplines. In this context the staging of such premiere national tournaments, gives a further boost, to the region’s young and talented footballers, as they get an opportunity to see their favourite teams and stars play in front of them.
He extended best wishes to all the participating teams and thanked the Indian Army for organizing this iconic tournament in Kokrajhar with absolute efficiency and professionalism.
Maj. Gen. Dinesh Hooda, VSM, Chief of Staff, Gajraj Corps also addressed the gathering and spoke about the rich traditions of the Durand Cup, the three trophies and long association with the Indian Armed Forces. He expressed his gratitude to the Government of Assam and the Bodoland Territorial Council for providing Armed forces with wholehearted support for the tournament.
CEM Boro said, “An unwavering devotion towards the motherland & an undying passion for football, these sentiments define BTR. Proud to welcome the grand Trophy Tour of the 132nd edition of the historic Durand Cup in Kokrajhar, the City of Peace and amidst the rousing chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.
Boro while highlighting about the Durand Cup event in Kokrajhar, said,”Today is a red letter day for the whole of BTR as we unveil the glittering trophies of the 132nd edition of Durand Cup in Kokrajhar.
“It is a delighted moment to flag off the Durand Cup Trophy Tour in a glittering ceremony graced by AIFF President Shri Kalyan Chaubey Ji; Hon’ble Ministers Shri Urkhao Gwra Brahma ; Smt. Nandita Gorlosa; Major General Dinesh Hooda Ji (VSM), Chief of Staff, Gajraj Corps”,Boro added.
” We proudly unveiled the trophies of the 132 edition of the Durand Cup in Kokrajhar, marking a historic moment for the oldest football tournament in Asia. This year, the tournament will be organized in Kokrajhar for the first time, thanks to the joint efforts of the Indian Army and the BTC government. The prestigious event will take place at the SAI stadium in Kokrajhar. Following the unveiling ceremony, the trophies will embark on a journey to Kathmandu and Dhaka, before making their way to Kolkata, the venue for the finals”, said Assam cabinet minister Urkhao Gwra Brahma.
