Bhubaneswar: Around 7,000 from across Odisha are expected to take part in the 18th edition of Isha Gramotsavam, a rural sports initiative conceptualised by Sadhguru and organised by Isha Outreach under its action for rural rejuvenation programme.The tournament will be conducted across seven clusters — Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, Balangir, Dhenkanal and Sundargarh — with athletes from the districts. Organisers said special efforts had been made to encourage women’s participation, including throwball training camps at Khurda, Baripada, Sundargarh, Rourkela and Rajgangpur. The camps drew around 580 participants.Nationally, the event is expected to bring together more than 80,000 participants from over 40,000 villages across 10 states and Puducherry. Accredited by Khelo India, the event is expected to feature more than 7,000 teams and around 15,000 women participants, with a prize pool exceeding Rs 1 crore.This year’s competition will feature volleyball for men and throwball for women. Participation is open to rural players who have not represented a state or the country at national or international level. All players in a team must belong to the same gram panchayat.Cluster-level matches in Odisha will be held between July 18 and Aug 2, followed by divisional rounds on Aug 16 at Railway Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Winning teams will progress to the final, scheduled from Sept 4 to 6 at Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore.
