Sri Vijaya Puram, Oct. 23: The two-day Beach Sports Festival-2025 got off to a colorful start at sprawling Wandoor Beach. The Directorate of Tourism is organizing the event, in collaboration with the Departments of Education, Sports & Youth Affairs and Gram Panchayat, Wandoor. The Adhyaksh, ZPSA, Shri Prakash Adhikari as the chief guest inaugurated the Beach Sports Festival in the presence of the Pramukh Panchayat Samiti, Ferrargunj Tehsil, Ms Padma Wathi, PRIs of the Ferragunj Tehsil, villagers of the Wandoor and its adjoining areas.
In his address, the Adhyaksh ZPSA, expressed his happiness over the conduct of Beach Sports Festival involving the Deptt. of Education & YAS and Gram Panchayat Wandoor. He further said beach sports activities of such magnitude will further attract islanders as well as tourist to Beach area and the youth of rural areas can also benefit from Tourism activities. He also urged for incorporating more sports events for larger participation in Beach Sports Festivals.
In her welcome address, the Pramukh Panchayat Samiti, Ferrargunj Tehsil, Ms D. Padma Wathi termed the event as a good beginning by the Tourism Department towards tourism promotion in rural areas.
The festival opened today with preliminary rounds of Volleyball (Men), Tug of War (Women) and Arm Wrestling (Men). In the Volleyball event, a total of 20 teams registered, out of which, 14 were men’s and 6 were women’s. Today, a total of 10 matches were played while the first semi-final will be played tomorrow in the morning hours between the teams of Island Krackers & Ravi Arts while second semi-final will be played between Mahesh Brothers & SBPS, Pahargaon.
In the Tug of War for women, 3 teams were registered and after the preliminary round, the semi-final & final matches will be played tomorrow while the matches of the ‘Tug of War’ competition for Men, 6 teams registered and the matches will be played tomorrow.
The highlight of the Beach Sports event was the Arm- Wrestling for Men in which 21 participants registered themselves for the competition. The event, aimed to promote physical fitness and showcase individual strength and endurance witnessed great participation from the youth who competed in the event, with exceptional performances and prowess and muscle power. After the preliminary round, 6 wrestlers made it to the finals to be played tomorrow.
The two-day ‘Beach Sports Festival’ celebrates the sportsmanship, fitness, and community spirit against the breath-taking backdrop of Wandoor’s golden sands and sunsets, promoting teamwork and local tourism through exciting beachside competitions. The inaugural competitions were witnessed by the villagers of Wandoor and its adjoining areas with great enthusiasm cheering the competitors.
Cash prizes for winners and runners-up will be distributed on 25th October, 2025 at Wandoor Beach. The Directorate of Tourism has invited all sports lovers and community members to witness the final sports event and to be part of this vibrant celebration of unity, wellness, and the natural beauty of the Islands.
