Pilani: The All India IPSC Under-17 Boys’ Football tournament 2026, hosted by Birla Public School, Pilani, concluded on a magnificent note with an impressive closing ceremony following five days of exhilarating football action. The prestigious national championship brought together 20 leading public schools from across India, celebrating sporting excellence, teamwork, discipline, and the true spirit of fair play.The five-day tournament culminated in a thrilling summit clash between Tashi Namgyal Academy, Gangtok (Sikkim) and Delhi Public School, RK Puram, New Delhi. Displaying exceptional skill, determination, and teamwork, Tashi Namgyal Academy emerged as the tournament champions, while Delhi Public School, RK Puram secured the runners-up trophy. Yadavindra Public School, Patiala finished in third place. The host institution, Birla Public School, Pilani, delivered an impressive performance throughout the tournament and secured the fourth position among the 20 participating teams.Earlier in the day, Yadavindra Public School, Patiala defeated Birla Public School, Pilani in the third-place hard-line.The closing ceremony was graced by Captain AJ Singh, director of Pinegrove School, as the chief guest. Major General SS Nair, AVSM, director of the Birla Education Trust, honoured the occasion as the guest of honour. They were warmly welcomed by the principal of Birla Public School, Kajal Marwaha, who presented floral bouquets to the distinguished guests.The ceremony commenced with a ceremonial welcome featuring the school’s Mounted Contingent, School Band, and Army Cadets, reflecting the institution’s rich traditions and discipline. Student Aryaveer Singh introduced the chief guest and conducted the proceedings with confidence and elegance, while School Captain Suraj Singh proposed the vote of thanks.Addressing the gathering, the dignitaries congratulated all participating teams for their outstanding sportsmanship and encouraged students to uphold the values of discipline, perseverance, leadership, and teamwork. They appreciated Birla Public School, Pilani, for successfully hosting a tournament of national stature and for providing an excellent platform for young footballers to showcase their talent.During the prize distribution ceremony, the chief guest Captain AJ Singh, guest of honour Major General SS Nair, AVSM, and principal Kajal Marwaha presented trophies, medals, and certificates to the winning and runner-up teams, as well as to outstanding individual performers.The tournament was efficiently coordinated by Vijay Singh Rathore and Anand Singh Rathore, with valuable support from co-ordinator Siddharth Rai, Dharmendra Nangal, Vinod Saraswat, the physical education department, teachers, staff members, and student volunteers, whose dedicated efforts ensured the smooth and successful conduct of the event.Among the distinguished guests present were Virendra Kumar Dahiya, IPSC observer and former football coach; Achala Verma, principal, Birla Balika Vidyapeeth, Pilani; Sushant Kumar Baral, headmaster, Birla Public School, Pilani; Mahesh Chand Pandey, Bursar; Sadanand Tyagi, DOPC; Manoranjan Kumar, academic coordinator; along with members of the faculty, students, parents, and other eminent guests.Held under the dynamic leadership of principal Kajal Marwaha, the tournament successfully promoted excellence in sports, healthy competition, leadership, discipline, and national integration. The event concluded with great enthusiasm and will be remembered as another landmark chapter in the rich sporting legacy of the Indian Public Schools’ Conference (IPSC).
