by Apurva
News Desk: Varanasi is geared up to host a major sporting spectacle as former Indian men’s volleyball head coach Jaideep Sarkar, who guided the national team at the Asian Games, has been formally invited to mentor the 72nd Senior National Volleyball Championship (Men & Women).
The eight-day championship will be held from January 4 to January 11 at Dr Sampurnanand Sports Stadium, bringing together India’s top volleyball talent under the aegis of the Volleyball Federation of India and hosted by the District Volleyball Association, Varanasi.
Adding to the event’s significance, Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the championship on Saturday, marking a major sporting milestone for the holy city. Yogi Adityanath will be present at the opening ceremony to motivate players and officials, while Brajesh Pathak, who is also President of the Uttar Pradesh Volleyball Association, will attend as the special guest.
Officials said Jaideep Sarkar’s role will go beyond ceremonial presence, with the seasoned coach expected to mentor teams and share high-performance insights drawn from his international experience. Apart from his coaching credentials, Sarkar is an Executive Board Member of the Indian Pierre de Coubertin Association and the National Council of Sports Science and Physical Education. He also serves as a City Officer (Bokaro) of India’s first IOC-supported Global Active Partner initiative and is an Asian Volleyball Confederation silver medallist.
With over 25 years of professional experience across sports development, sports science, advocacy and coaching, Sarkar has earlier worked as a Project Officer for the Commonwealth Games and as an Administrator for the National Games. Currently associated with SAIL Bokaro Steel Plant, he has been instrumental in promoting sports culture at Bokaro Steel City, which was accredited in 2020–21 under the IOC-supported Global Active Cities programme.
Sarkar has also represented India as a sports resource person at several prestigious international platforms, including the ITK Leipzig University project, the United Nations’ International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, UNESCO–FISU’s International Day of University Sports, and the International Sports Press Association World Sports Journalists’ Day.
According to the organising committee, around 1,250 players from across the country are expected to participate in the championship, with teams from all states competing in both men’s and women’s categories—making it one of the largest national volleyball events ever hosted by Varanasi.
