DC Budgam inaugurates volleyball tournament in Charar-i-Sharief

Budgam, Jul 19: A grand provincial-level inter-district volleyball tournament for all age groups, under-14, under-17, and under-19, was officially inaugurated on Saturday by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Budgam, Dr Bilal Mohi-Ud-Din Bhat, at the picturesque Charar-i-Sharief Khel Maidan.

The tournament, hosted for the first time in the Budgam district at this scale, witnessed enthusiastic participation from teams across various districts of the Union Territory of J&K. The event aims to promote sports culture, channel youth energy positively, and identify emerging talent at the grassroots level.

Speaking at the inauguration, DC emphasised the critical role of sports in youth empowerment and drug de-addiction. “By developing sports infrastructure across the district, particularly in rural areas, we can effectively counter the menace of drug abuse. Youth, when attracted to sports activities, are less likely to fall into negative influences,” he remarked.

He highlighted the district administration’s vision of creating a vibrant sporting ecosystem. “Our dream is to ensure that every panchayat has its own sports field—be it a volleyball court, a cricket ground, or any other facility. We want Budgam to emerge as a hub for national-level sporting events. In fact, we have already proposed the development of major playfields that can host such prestigious national-level tournaments in the near future,” said DC.