The National Defence Academy (NDA) won the overall team championship and lifted the Sabhiki Cup after the conclusion of the inter defence academies sports meet which was held at the Air Force Academy, Dundigul, here recently.
NDA won the squash and hockey tournaments and was runner up in basketball and cross country running. Four premier military training institutions namely the NDA, Indian Military Academy (IMA), Air Force Academy and Indian Naval Academy (INA) took part in the prestigious meet which was being held by the AFA Dundigul for the first time.
In the hockey final the NDA team defeated Indian Military Academy (IMA) 2-0 in a well contested match.
The NDA contingent comprised of 49 cadets with Wing Commander Paul Davis, Physical Training Officer as the Chef-de-Mission.
The presence - at the competition - of Air Marshal Kulwant Singh Gill, AVSM, YSM, VM (G) , Commandant of the NDA , boosted the morale of the NDA lads. The championship had its origin in 1970 and was initiated to develop a spirit of sportsmanship and a means to encourage a healthy competitive interaction between cadets of the different training institutions on the sports field.
Later the Officers Training Academy (OTA), INA , AFA and INS Shivaji also joined the event. In 2013 INS Shivaji teamed up with INA and the competitions were named Sabhiki Cup Championships. The trophy called the Sabhiki Cup was instituted in honour of Air Marshal D.S. Sabhiki, AVSM, former Commandant of NDA who was the driving force behind this event.
