PASIGHAT, 31 Aug: The commerce department and SOMACS were crowned champions of the Arunachal Pradesh University's (APU) 'Futsal Fiesta 2026', winning the girls' and the boys' titles, respectively, as the three-day inter-departmental tournament concluded at the PJ Arena here on Sunday, marking the culmination of the university's National Sports Day celebrations.
Commerce defeated SOMACSMAS 1-0 in the girls' final, while SOMACS (Sociology, Mathematics and Computer Science) beat English-Hindi 4-1 to lift the boys' title. SOMACSMAS finished runners-up in the girls' category and English-Hindi in the boys' category.
Individual awards were also announced. Taro Yaring of SOMACSMAS was named best player in the girls' category, with teammate Minam Pangu earning the highest scorer honours from Commerce, and Gebom Romin of Tribal Studies winning the best goalkeeper award.
In the boys' category, all three individual awards went to SOMACS: Anggit Moyong was named the best player, Ojing Ngukir the best goalkeeper, and Kangkeng Modi highest scorer.
Held from 28 to 30 August, under the theme 'Play, Unite and Celebrate', the tournament was organised as part of the National Sports Day, observed annually in honour of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, and formed part of the university's push to promote physical fitness and a sporting culture among students.
Addressing the gathering after the prize distribution, APU Registrar Narmi Darang commended the participation and sporting spirit shown by all teams, congratulating the winners and acknowledging every participant.
He said the tournament was organised "not merely for competition but to bring students together, keep them active, and build a stronger sporting culture within the university," and expressed hope that future editions would include more sporting disciplines.
He also thanked APUSU sports secretary Kada Libang and Assistant Professor Dr Yab Rajiv Camder for their role in organising the event.
The tournament unfolded over three days of closely fought matches. Day one saw Tribal Studies edge past Commerce 3-2 in the boys' opener, followed by a 6-1 win for SOMACS over Social Work.
In the girls' fixtures, Tribal Studies beat English-Hindi on penalties, SOMACSMAS defeated Education 4-0, and Commerce edged past Economics 1-0.
On day two, Education beat Economics 5-1, and English-Hindi overcame Mass Communication 4-1 in the boys' matches, while SOMACSMAS beat Tribal Studies 1-0 and Commerce got past Social Work 2-1 among the girls.
The final day produced some of the tournament's most dramatic moments. SOMACS beat Tribal Studies 5-1 in the boys' semifinal, while Education and English-Hindi fought to a tense 3-3 finish before English-Hindi prevailed 4-3 on penalties.
A friendly exhibition match between the academic block and the administrative block, featuring faculty members and staff, added a lighter note to the closing day and drew cheers from students.
