The four-city trophy tour for the start of the 131st Durand Cup football tournament has been flagged off from Kolkata. The 'Flagging off ceremony' has been organized at Fort William, the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Fars. The event was attended by Arup Biswas, in-charge of the Ministry of Power, Government of West Bengal and Arup Biswas, Ministry of Youth Services and Sports, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, Lt Gen RP Kalita and Chief of Staff, Eastern Command Headquarters and Chairman of Durand Committee, Lt Gen KK Repswal had also come.
The winners of the tournament are to be given three trophies, the original award of the Durand Cup, the President's Cup and the Shimla Trophy are first scheduled to arrive in Guwahati in Assam on July 21, then to visit Imphal, the capital of Manipur on July 24 and from there it is scheduled to reach Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, on July 27 before returning to Kolkata on August 02, 2022.
The trophies in Kolkata are to be welcomed in front of the statue of old-fashioned footballer Gosth Pal. The trophy is chosen to keep in mind the destinations for the tour. Guwahati and Imphal will be the hosts for the first time, while a team from the state of Rajasthan is set to play again in the prestigious tournament after a gap of 40 years. The Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs of the West Bengal Government, Arup Biswas has said, "I compliment the organizers for this wonderful idea of the trophy tour. This will help spread the popularity of the tournament further and is also going to aid in bringing in new fans from new corners of the country. On behalf of the Hon'ble CM of West Bengal and sports lover Mamata Banerjee, I am conveying my best wishes for the Durand Cup. We promise to provide all kinds of support in making the 131st edition bigger and better than years ago.''
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