Battle of prowess: wrestlers to fight it out for coveted silver mace in Bihar’s Jamui

Around 200 wrestlers from across Bihar will gather in Jamui on Saturday to showcase their physical prowess in the two-day ‘Maati Ka Bal – Dangal’.

The state-level wrestling event is jointly organized by Bihar State Sports Authority (BSSA) and Bihar Wrestling Association. Following the success of the inaugural event held in Begusarai last year, the event, now in its second edition, will be held at the Sri Krishna Singh Memorial Stadium in Jamui.

A total of 186 wrestlers, 162 men and 24 women, have registered for the competition so far, and registrations will end at midnight on Friday.

The event will feature five weight categories for men (50-60 kg, 60-70 kg, 70-80 kg, 80-90 kg and 90 kg and above) and two categories for women (50-60 kg, 60 kg and above).

While the top three winners will receive cash prizes of ₹1 lakh, ₹50,000 and ₹25,000 respectively, the best wrestler in the event will be awarded the coveted silver mace.

The mace, manufactured in 1954, has become a symbol of excellence in the sport ever since it was presented to wrestler Vishwanath Singh with the title of ‘Bihar Kesari’ in 1975.

Meanwhile, BSSA announced the first list of 514 athletes selected for sports scholarships. “Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who announced the scheme last year, will offer scholarships under three categories: ‘Utkarsh’ (₹20 lakh), ‘Saksham’ (₹5 lakh) and ‘Prerna’ (₹3 lakh),” said BSSA Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Raveendran Sankaran.

He said that scholarships can be used by athletes to purchase sports equipment, for training and diet purposes, and to participate in national and international events.