Rajasthan men, Puducherry women triumph at Fifth Soft Hockey National Championship in Jaipur

Jaipur: The 5th Soft Hockey National Championship 2025-26 was successfully organised from January 29 to February 1, 2026, with a grand closing ceremony held on Sunday in a solemn atmosphere.The chief guest of the closing ceremony was Dr Arun Chaturvedi, Chairman, 7th State Finance Commission, Rajasthan, while the ceremony was presided over by Sunaina Prakash, currently Chairperson of the Legal Committee of the Indian Olympic Association.Dr Ashutosh Pant, Suresh Dewan, GS Rathore, KK Tak, Shikha Pant and Dr Aditya Nag were present as special guests on this occasion.In the Senior Men's final, the Rajasthan team defeated Maharashtra by a thrilling 5-3 score line to win the gold medal. Vikas scored two brilliant goals for Rajasthan in the decisive match, while Mohit, Pratik, and Sanjay each scored one goal to ensure the team's victory. Maharashtra finished runner-up and received the silver medal. In the Senior Women's category, the Puducherry team performed brilliantly and won the gold medal by defeating Rajasthan 3–0, while Rajasthan got the silver and Madhya Pradesh got the bronze medal. In the Junior Boys category, Rajasthan won the gold medal and Maharashtra won the bronze medal, while in the Junior Girls category, the Rajasthan team won the gold medal. In the Sub-Junior Boys category, Rajasthan won the gold, Uttar Pradesh got the silver and Madhya Pradesh got the bronze medal, while in the Sub-Junior Girls category also, Rajasthan established its dominance by winning the gold medal. On this occasion, Chief Guest Dr. Arun Chaturvedi praised the format of the game, calling it extremely useful for youth. Association President Dr. Ashutosh Pant called the competition an important step toward the development of soft hockey, while General Secretary Ramesh Singh expressed his gratitude.