New Delhi, August 20: Last year’s winners Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB), who won team titles in men, women, Youth boys and Youth girls, have been given the pride of place in all categories of the 42nd All-India Inter Institutional Table Tennis Championships that get underway at Kshudiram Anusilan Kendra in Kolkata from August 22.

The Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) who came behind them in the men’s team event are seeded second, while the Airport Authority of India (AAI) get top billing in in all the other team events-women, Youth Boys and Youth girls-since their team finished behind PSPB at the last Inter-Institution championships held at Burnpur.

The draw for the team championships was conducted at the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) office here last week under the supervision of Dhandraj Choudhary, Secretary General.

The event being the season opener, all top players of the country, including Achantha Sharath Kamal, Anthony Amalraj, Subhajait Saha, Sanil Shetty besides Soumyajit Ghosh will be seen in action in the men’s singles while the women’s singles will see Poulomi Ghatak, K Shamini, Mouma Das and Ankita Das taking part. Both Soumyajit Ghosh and Ankita Das had represented India at the London Olympics.

The team events of the championships will commence on August 22 and will conclude on August 24 with the finals scheduled for 4 p.m. However, a day before the individual events will start and end on August 27, the last day of the championships with the women’s singles final schedule for 3 p.m., followed by the men’s singles.

The Championships, organised by the Ordnance Factories Sports Promotion Board (OFSPB), is one of prestigious and most important events as top two teams in the men’s and women’s categories getting direct entry into the Senior National TT Championships. Similarly, the teams that finish top of the podium in the Youth Boys and Youth Girls sections will get a direct entry each in the Youth National Championships.

Incidentally, the OFSPB had conducted the 38th Institutional TT Championships at Nagpur in 2008 and received all round appreciation from all those participated in them. The event in 2008 was not achieved great success but, in fact, set certain standards towards organising a big meet like this. The OFSPB, even otherwise, has a huge experience of conducing big events at the national level regularly.

The OFSPB, with a view to giving more opportunities, had some time back recruited 40 sportspersons. They are also looking to induct 49 more into their ranks in Group B in various disciplines, including four paddlers. The proposal awaits ministry clearance.

The championships, which carry a total purse of Rss 3.32 lakh, will see paddlers from 20 Institutions and 19 states competing in the singles and doubles events with the singles winners in the men’s section will receive Rs. 75,000 while the women’s winner will get Rs. 58,000.

The championships will be inaugurated by S K Beri, Chairman of the Ordnance Factory Board, at 11.30 a.m. on August 22, 2012 at 11:30 am.