Bhubaneswar: The 31st Sub-Junior National Baseball Championship got underway on Sunday at the KIIT and KISS University here.
The tournament, which will run through May 29, is being organised by the Baseball Association of Odisha (BAO), under the aegis of the Amateur Baseball Federation of India (ABFI).
Twenty boys’ and 18 girls’ teams will vie for top honours in the six-day championship which will see the involvement of nearly 1,000 people including players, technical officials, volunteers and support staff, the organising committee informed at a press conference on Saturday.
Besides hosts Odisha, teams from Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Puducherry and Assam are taking part in the nationals.
A total of 120 medals — 40 gold, 40 silver and 40 bronze — will be awarded.
Besides the championship and runners-up trophies, individual awards will be presented to the Best Player (MVP), Best Discipline Team, Best Hitter, Best Pitcher, Best Catcher, Best Scorer and Best Umpire during the closing ceremony at KISS on May 29.
The Baseball Association of Odisha will also felicitate two international players of KISS University.
In view of the oppressive heatwave conditions prevailing in Odisha, all matches will be conducted during morning and evening sessions.
The organisers have made arrangements for airconditioned accommodation for players, officials, and dignitaries at the KIIT and KISS University campuses.
