Spree 2017, BITS Pilani Goa’s annual sports festival was inaugurated on 2nd March, 2017 on the campus’ basketball court. Chief Guest Prof. Raghurama, Director BITS Pilani KK Birla Goa Campus graced the occasion as the nation’s fastest growing sports festival got off to a rousing start just ahead of the home team began its basketball campaign. The other guests of honour included the fests faculty co-ordinator Mr. Chandu Lamani and other senior members of the administration including Dr. Bharat Deshpande, Dr. Angshuman Sarkar and Dr. CK Ramesha.

The ceremony began with bouquets being presented to the guests, after which, the ceremonial lamp was lit by the Chief Guest. The glistening collection of trophies was unveiled in fine fashion, as the Director addressed the gathering. The fest convenor Arjun Varanasi finally declared Spree 2017 – Summon Your Champion open, as the University Vice President Harsh Maliwal concluded the ceremony with the Vote of Thanks.

The inauguration was the perfect start-off to Spree 2017, which promises to enthrall like never before with big names like Kapil Dev and Michael Clarke making their way to BITS Goa to inspire the athletes. Furthermore, popular comedians Abish Matthews and Sahil Shah, and crowd favourites Local Train are all set to add another dimension to the sports extravaganza.

There may never be a perfect example of describing the essence of basketball as it is played at the highest level. It is like describing music through words, or a painting through text. You can give a feeling of the work, or compare it to something else, but you can’t re-create the actual feeling of being on the court, or making that move, of imposing your will, of the precise moment that you can reach the front of the rim. Because it is not a moment, it is a sense, an instinct, a flicker of insight and nerve so sudden that you have to act on it before it is a thought. What do you see? A subtle shift of weight, a lowering of the hands, a leaning forward, a glance, and that is enough to set off a chain of events. They are actions that stem from a thousand tiny instincts. Watching the matches happen during Spree, you would be amazed at the quality of talent on display. With more than 30 matches taking place over the 3 days of the sports festival, the competitive spirit is at it’s peak from the knockout stages of the tournament.  There have been many teams that have participated in the competition over the years. This year, there are multiple teams from all parts of India, and the quality of teams is expected to be of a very high level.

Spree has gotten bigger than ever this year, with the introduction of new sports such as Powerlifting and Kabaddi, along with the usual crowd pullers, basketball, badminton, football and cricket. With a rigorous vetting procedure, with absolutely no compromise on quality of competition, Spree this year is sure to surpass its past editions on all fronts, and firmly establish itself as the best Sports fest in India!