GUWAHATI: One of India's oldest football tournaments, the Bordoloi Trophy may make a comeback soon. In the past few years, the tournament lost its popularity because of different reasons but now, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is thinking about making changes to the 71-year-old competition to make it better.
According to GSA (Guwahati Sports Association) Secretary, Devajit Saikia, he got an email from AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey.
In the email, Chaubey said that the AIFF is interested in changing the Bordoloi Trophy.
They want to make it a qualifying event for the Santosh Trophy in Northeast India.
"When the Bordoloi trophy was started in 1952, Judges Field, it was the most popular sport for a decade, it was the flagship event for the Guwahati Sports Association, but for the last 15-20 years, the tournament lost its popularity as there is less crowd in the stadium and very few good teams come and participate. There is also a lack of public support and a shortage of sponsors. Ultimately becoming just an annual ritual for namesake." Saikia says.
Saikia also mentioned that the AIFF plans to improve several other tournaments in India, such as the Rovers Cup, Kalinga Cup, DCM Trophy, and Santosh Trophy.
These tournaments have a rich history and they want to bring back their popularity by making changes and improvements.
Acknowledging the historical importance of the Bordoloi Trophy, the AIFF asked the GSA if they would be open to turning it into a qualifying tournament for all the Northeast states for the Santosh Trophy.
At present, the GSA manages eight sports, including football, cricket, basketball, volleyball, athletics, table tennis, hockey, and badminton.
But according to the new rules, they are thinking about adding more Olympic sports.
The GSA plans to include tennis, boxing, swimming, and other sports because players from Guwahati don't have many chances to participate in district-level tournaments for swimming, boxing, or chess.
The goal is to expand the GSA's range and give athletes opportunities in different sports.