Chandigarh, November 13, 2026:The Governor of Punjab and Administrator, U.T. Chandigarh, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria, today attended the closing ceremony of the 39th UTT Chandigarh State Table Tennis Championship-2026 as the Chief Guest at the Table Tennis Hall, Sports Complex, Sector 50-D, Chandigarh. He distributed prizes to the winners, appreciated the young sporting talent of Chandigarh and assured support for developing the required infrastructure to host the upcoming Senior National Table Tennis Championship in the city.

The championship featured 22 events for boys and girls in the Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 age groups, with players from across Chandigarh participating enthusiastically.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Kataria congratulated the association on successfully organising the championship for the 39th consecutive year. He said that sports help young people develop discipline, confidence, teamwork and the ability to face challenges. He encouraged players to learn from both victories and defeats and continue working hard to achieve their goals.

Highlighting the Chandigarh Administration's efforts to promote sports, the Governor said that around ₹36 crore has been provided to sportspersons through scholarships and cash awards under the sports policy. He also highlighted the efforts to provide better sports facilities and encourage children to take part in sports. Under the Olympic Values Education Programme, around 41,750 students from 108 government schools are benefiting from the school volleyball programme.

The Governor urged young players to stay away from drugs and make sports and physical fitness a part of their daily lives. He expressed confidence that the young sporting talent of Chandigarh would bring pride to the city and the country by performing well in national and international competitions.

On the occasion, Shri Anup Gupta, President, Chandigarh Table Tennis Association, shared that Chandigarh has been allocated the opportunity to host the 88th Senior National Table Tennis Championships-2026, proposed to be held in March 2027, at the Table Tennis Hall, Sports Complex, Sector 50-D. He said that this prestigious championship will be held in Chandigarh for the first time and that 20-24 table tennis tables will be required at the venue. The Governor assured the association that all necessary infrastructure and requirements for hosting the event would be fulfilled.

Also present on the event were Shri C.B. Ojha, Chief Engineer, U.T. Chandigarh, Dr. Mahender Singh, Joint Director Sports, U.T. Chandigarh, and other officials of the Chandigarh Table Tennis Association