Addressing the players at the inauguration, Rathore said that sports only improve when players get opportunities. The more matches players play, the more their match temperament will develop.“When you play, don’t look at the scoreboard; concentrate only on your game. Success is good; if not, you will surely succeed tomorrow. But you should never give up. Always respect the referee’s decision,” said Rathore.“When I was in the Army, I also played handball. It feels good to be here among everyone today, among players who have brought glory to the country at the international level.”Rathore said that when he was communicating with the coaches recently, they expressed the need for an indoor practice hall. He added that he has submitted a proposal for this. He hopes the CM Bajan Lal Sharma will soon announce the construction of a handball indoor practice hall.The RSHA secretary Yash Pratap Singh said that Rathore honoured the prominent international players participating in the tournament by giving them mementos.Defending champions Himachal Pradesh began their campaign on a winning note, defeating Punjab 24-19 (19-6). Hosts Rajasthan also made a flying start, winning both their matches on Thursday. In the first match, they defeated Uttar Pradesh 19-15 (10-9), and in the second, they edged past CISF 20-17 (7-7).In other matches, LPU-Phagwara swept aside Delhi 27-7 (15-1) in a one-sided match, last year’s runners-up Northern Railways derailed BSF 19-14 (10-5), CISF beat Delhi 20-15 (11-9), BSF downed Haryana 19-17 (11-8), while Northern Railways got the better of Punjab 24-13 (17-8).Friday’s matches: Rajasthan vs LPU-Phagwara, Uttar Pradesh vs CISF, BSF vs Himachal Pradesh, Northern Railway vs Haryana, Uttar Pradesh vs LPU-Phagwara, BSF vs Punjab, Haryana vs Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan vs Delhi, CISF vs LPU-Phagwara, Haryana vs Punjab.
