There’s no stopping these hoopsters

A poignant scene it will certainly be but there is no denying that these players will be as equally enthusiastic to put in an exhilarating display as the regular hoopsters. And win the admiration of one and all for demonstrating the best of grit, determination and valour that will be writ large on their faces despite the physical handicap.

It will be all of courage and inspirational showing when players from India and Thailand assemble at the KVBR Indoor Stadium on June 22 for the National-level wheelchair basketball technical camp, being organised by the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India (WBFI) in collaboration with Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Cognizant.

To be formally inaugurated by A Dinakar Babu, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of SATS, the five-day camp will be the first technical camp, according to Madhavi Latha, President of WBFI. She said that although only two years old, the Federation had taken the sport to nine States where the response has been ‘overwhelming’.

The endeavour is part of their ‘Introduction to Wheelchair Basketball for Developing NOWBS’ Project. Affiliated to the world governing body, International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF), and headquartered in Chennai, she said that WBFI’s vision was to ensure extensive participation as a means to empower persons with disabilities (PWDs) and also to change the societal perceptions about them.

This will provide an active platform to PWDs to showcase their latent potential and harness the power to attain social inclusion besides maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle, she said. Kalyani Rajaraman, Secretary-General of the Indian body, pointed out that WBFI has also tied up with International Paralympic Committee’s AGITOS Foundation.

The ensuing camp will be coordinated by four internationally reputed experts, who will not only train Indian wheelchair players but also officials, including coaches, referees and classifiers. IWBF instructors who will be in town include Canadian Maureen Orchard, who is the present Secretary-General of IWBF; its Technical Commission Chairman Norbert Kucera from Germany; Toufic Allouche (Lebanon) who is the Classification Officer of IWBF Asia Oceania Zone and his European counterpart Maurice Hammerton from United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, there is significance to the camp as India is poised for its international debut and the camp will provide an opportunity to the players to make it to the national squad. The U23 Men’s Wheelchair Basketball World Championship is slated to be hosted by Toronto in June next year. India will be participating in the qualifying tournament at the Asia Oceania Zone level that will be held at Bangkok in January. But, of course, when it comes to having competitive spirit these players are in no way inferior to the regular basketball players.