Cagers team up to breathe life into sport

Many commentators feel that cricket seems to have a towering presence in the arena of sports. They also feel that as a result of this other games have been elbowed out from playgrounds and popular imagination.   

To rectify this, the Indian Gymkhana has come up with a plan to launch a basketball academy with financial assistance from some corporate groups. “The funds which we are getting through sponsorship will be utilised for setting up an academy,” said Vinod Muthukumar, tournament director, Ramu Memorial Basketball tournament.

He added, “Initially we will hold summer camps and our main aim will be to hunt potential local talent and groom them into good basketball players. We will also include underprivileged children in the programme.”

Some of national players like Ram Kumar, Manoj Tripathi, S Krishnanand, Abdul Hamid and Gurudutt Nayak have welcomed the initiative. The players feel that there is a need to upgrade the benchmark of the game.

“The standard of basketball has gone down. Hence there is a need to inculcate skills among the new players. An academy can focus and polish the skills of upcoming potential players is the need of the hour. While the game’s appeal has been increasing, appropriate organisational support is lacking,” said Gurudutt Nayak, Maharashtra state basketball player. 

The Indian Gymkhana will provide equipment and gear for training of children for basketball. “We need to inculcate appropriate stamina levels for which we have a team of fitness trainers, physiotherapists, dieticians and doctors. Under their guidance, we have planned various programmes for children. National players will guide these children in game techniques. We will also provide a scholarship to the most promising players and fund their training,” Jayant Lapsia, president of the Indian Gymkhana.

The academy is focusing on personality development programmes and team building exercises for children. The administrators will start hunting for children from various schools of Mumbai in the various age groups between six to 13. At a later stage,  the academy will move to smaller towns of the state to groom talent.  “We will create a mechanism which can generate money for supporting the livelihood of players. Only then can we hope for dedicated fulltime players. What the Board of Cricket Control of India has done for cricket, we will try to do the same for basketball. Some corporate groups have also come forward to support us in this endeavour,” added Vinod.

The academy is open to all youngsters and underprivileged children can avail of its facilities free of charge. 

Indian Gymkhana has been organising a basketball tournament named the Ramu Memorial Basketball tournament for 26 years. The final match of basketball tournament was held over the weekend. Eight men’s teams and four women’s teams participated in the tourney.