LATUR

Bail-gada shariyat or Bullock cart races were common in almost every rural part of Maharashtra. However, the races were banned in 2011 and the State government 2017 enacted legislation to restart the races. But, the Bombay High Court stayed the legislation. The Supreme Court had refused to lift the stay and the matter was referred to a larger bench. In 2021 the Supreme Court upheld the state’s legislation thus legalizing the races.

Similar games are played in Tamil Nadu where it is known as ‘Jallikattu', also known as'eruthazhuvuthal', and is played as part of the Pongal harvest festival. The Bail Gada shariyats of Maharashtra resemble the 'Kambala' race, held in Karnataka between November and March, which involves a pair of buffaloes tied to a plow and anchored by one person. They are made to run in parallel muddy tracks in a competition in which the fastest team wins.

The sport is extremely popular in this region of Maharashtra and farmers with their bulls enthusiastically participate in it.

Kushti is also quite famous in the district. Latur district boasts a rich legacy of wrestling. Numerous exceptional wrestlers, such as Rustam-e-Hind Harishchandra Birajdar and Arjuna awardee Kakasaheb Pawar, have emerged from this region. The state-level Khashaba Jadhav tournament 2024 was held in Latur’s Udgir where wrestlers from all over the state showed up in exceptional numbers and participated with enthusiasm. Earlier, Maratha rulers supported Kushti by offering large sums of prize money for tournament champions. It was said that every Maratha boy at the time could wrestle, and even women took up the sport. During the colonial period, local princes sustained the popularity of Kushti by hosting matches and competitions. The game is played in a red soil pit. Nowadays, Kushti games are held during public events and still gather huge crowds.

A traditional game widely played in the rural regions of the district is, Koya. Koyas refer to the Mango seeds that are used in this game. The game is quite similar to the popular Marble game (Gotya) and is usually enjoyed by children for recreational purposes. A reason behind the game’s popularity is the fact that even seemingly cheap items such as Glass Marble were costly for the people of rural Marathwada. Thus the children had to make do with whatever resources they could get and one such item was the widely available mango seeds.

Similar to dandiya, tipra is played by women with two sticks during festivals, in front of the devi, especially during Navratri. It is played during saptah (weekly festivities) in the Udagiri Maharaj Samadhi temple.

Played by women and children, fugdi is played by two people who hold hands (one of them crossed) and take fast rounds.

Cricket widely remains the most popular sport in the district. Several local cricket tournaments are also held in the district at various places. Notably, the Turf Cricket League, Latur Champions League, Junior Premier League, Latur Premier League, etc. These tournaments are usually played by using the soft tennis ball instead of the actual hard balls used otherwise. However, some of these tournaments also use hard leather balls. The sport also remains the most played and watched game in the district. There are several Cricket academies as well that contribute to the promotion of the sport and provide the necessary infrastructure required for it such as the Rohan Cricket Club, Udgir Cricket Academy, and  Nishu Sports Legacy. Cricket also flourishes on grounds such as the Dayanand Cricket Ground.

Football has been gaining popularity in the recent years. A few local Football tournaments have also been held such as the U 13 ASMITA Football League. Latur also participates in the various inter-district matches and tournaments organized by the Western Indian Football Association (WIFA). There are several Football clubs as well that contribute to the promotion of the sport and provide the necessary infrastructure required for it such as the Red Star FC, Officer’s Club, Lion’s Club, and the AIFF-registered Latur District Football Association.

A few other sports are somewhat famous as well such as Table Tennis, Badminton and Volleyball are quite popular in the district as well. The district also holds a district-level badminton championship, the latest season of which was held in 2024. Latur’s Senior Men’s team for Volleyball had also reached the finals in the 2020 Maharashtra Senior Inter-District Volleyball Championship, though they were unable to register a win and take the trophy back home.

Harishchandra Madhavrao Birajdar born on 5 June 1950, in Latur, was a wrestler and a wrestling coach. Birajdar was born in Ramling Mudgad Tal in Nilanga in Latur. He was coached by his father initially and then by Ganpatrao Khedkar at Gangaves Talim, Kolhapur. He had defeated well-known wrestler Satpal in a 1977 bout, which brought him into the limelight. Birajdar worked as coach in Gokul Vastad Talim in Pune. He was awarded the Dhyanchand Award in 2006 by the Indian Government. Earlier in 1971 he was awarded the Shiv Chhatrapatii award and then the Dadoji Konddev award for coaching in 1998. He was also a Gold Medallist in the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. Birajdar passed away at the ripe old age of 61 on September 14, 2011.

Shahuraj Birajdar born on 19 July 1963 in Latur is a retired boxer. He competed in the men's bantamweight event at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Vaishnavi Pawar an archery prodigy native to the Malkapur Village in Latur has achieved great success at a very young age. She with her teammates, Pranjal Tholiya and Jannat secured a silver medal in the recurve U-18 women's team category at the 2024 Asian Youth Archery Championship in Taipei City, Chinese Taipei. She finished fourth in the trials to qualify for the championships and also reached the quarter-finals in the individual category. Vaishnavi currently lives and trains in Pune as she receives financial assistance from the Punit Balan Group. The PBG provides her with funding for training and competitions, along with essential equipment and support.

Kishore Bhikane was a promising Cricket player native to the district of Latur he represented Maharashtra in five one-day matches and seven Twenty 20 ties. Unfortunately on 4 March 2012, Bhikane passed away after he met with a Bike mishap near Latur while returning home after playing a Ranji tie. The Maharashtra Cricket Association gave a cheque of 25 Lakhs to his family as compensation for the loss of his life.

In November 2023, a one-of-a-kind Kabbadi event was organized in Tuljapur, Dharashiv. The novelty of the affair lay in the fact that it was an “only women” kabbadi event, something that is not usually seen especially in the rural parts of the state. Women from across the state, including a few from Latur had shown up at the event to participate and enjoy it. The sport provided a “chance for these women to defy gender norms and find sisterhood in play”.

Meenakshi Jagtap from Latur, now in her early 60s, lost her husband three years ago. Once a bright and energetic student, she excelled in athletics and Kho Kho, earning hundreds of medals and certificates with her name inscribed on them. However, after marrying into a well-off farming family that owned city homes and shops, many of her pursuits came to an end.

The last time she played kabaddi was in 1986 for an inter-school competition. For years, her life revolved around household responsibilities, rarely stepping out except for bhajan-kirtan programs. To participate in the game, she found herself having to ask for money under the pretense of needing a new saree for a religious gathering, receiving just enough to buy a T-shirt and pants instead. Only her daughter knew about her plans.

Despite societal expectations, she felt a renewed sense of childhood joy upon returning to the game. Now, she is determined to convince her family to let her continue playing, reclaiming a part of herself that had been set aside for decades

Sujata Sabuche, from Jalkot in Latur district, has led her team to victory in at least half a dozen qualifying matches. Dressed in a green saree, her elegant footwork, strong defense, and skillful raids were a treat to watch. Her energy and determination kept her team motivated, especially during moments when they were close to losing.

As a daily wage farm laborer, she has no formal training, relying instead on the physical demands of her work as her only form of practice. Her day begins at 5:00 am. with household chores before heading to a soybean farm, where she works from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. before returning home to complete more household responsibilities. Despite these challenges, her passion for the game remains unwavering, proving that determination and resilience can overcome any obstacle.

Chandralekha Gundre from Latur, at 54, plays kabaddi with the energy and enthusiasm of a youngster. After a gap of 40 years, she has returned to the game, with her husband, retired police constable Sitaram Gundre, by her side. He watched proudly, capturing photos and videos of his wife and her teammates as they played.

Now fully supporting her passion, he makes it a point to accompany her wherever she goes, making up for the time he couldn't give her during his years of service. He firmly believes that men should not only encourage women to step out but also actively support them in fulfilling their dreams.

There is a single stadium, which is located in the district’s Sports Complex and is known as the Latur district sports complex, locals say that one can play sports such as Badminton, Lawn tennis, Table Tennis, Basketball, Football, and Cricket inside the stadium and the sports complex.

Since the district has a strong wrestling culture, Talims are also an important part of the district’s sports infrastructure.