Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal
Bantwal, Jan 18: The much-awaited Koti Channaiah Sports Festival will be held on January 19, at the S V S Sports Ground in Bhadrabettu, Bantwal, under the aegis of the Bantwal Taluk Billava Samaja Seva Sangha, in association with the Youth Wing of Bantwal and the Bantwal Billava Mahila Samiti.
The event promises to be an exciting display of sportsmanship and community spirit, said Baby Kunder, the convener of the Kotichennaya Sports Festival Committee, during a press briefing held at the Press Club in B C Road.
The festival will feature teams from 24 Billava village committees across Bantwal Taluk, competing in a variety of group sports. Competitions have been organised for children, seniors, and women, among other categories.
Former minister B Janardhana Poojary will inaugurate the sports festival.
B Sanjeev Poojary, president of the Bantwal Taluk Billava Samaja Seva Sangha, will preside over the event. A grand procession with the participation of 24 Billava village committees from the taluk will also take place. B K Hariprasad, MLC, will be honoured with a special recognition during the event.
DySP S Vijay Prasad will perform the flag hoisting, while Harikrishna Bantwal, president of the Koti Channaiah Janmasthana Sanchelana Samiti, will hand over the sports torch.
Notable guests attending the event include H S Sai Ram, president of Kudroli Shri Gokarnanath Kshetra, and several dignitaries such as R Padmaraj, president of Bharat Co-operative Bank Ltd, Mumbai, Vedkumar, president of the Bengaluru Billava Association, and Satish Kumpala, president of Dakshina Kannada BJP.
In the evening, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary will distribute awards, and Baby Kunder will chair the closing ceremony. Other prominent guests will include Legislator Umanath Kotyan, Best Foundation President Rakshit Shivaram, and various community leaders.
The event will also honour community achievers from fields such as agriculture, sports, social work, religion, education, and politics.
The festival aims to foster sportsmanship and inspire the youth of the Billava community, while also recognising talent. Organisers have promised to provide training opportunities for athletes in the future, with a focus on career prospects.
The Koti Channaiah Sports Festival will continue as an annual event in the coming years.
The press meet was attended by Sanjeev Poojary, president of Billava Sangha, Srinivas Melkar, general secretary, Dinesh, president of Youth Wing, and Shailaja Rajesh, president of the women’s committee.