Govindaraj: 'India will have two big tournaments this year'

The FIBA Asia Cup for women will be held in July tentatively scheduled in Bangalore while the FIBA U-16 girls’ championship will be held in October-November in India, the city is not decided yet.

Published : Jan 14, 2017 21:23 IST , Puducherry

The FIBA Asia Cup for women will be held in July tentatively scheduled in Bangalore.
The FIBA Asia Cup for women will be held in July tentatively scheduled in Bangalore.
lightbox-info

The FIBA Asia Cup for women will be held in July tentatively scheduled in Bangalore.

There will be two big International tournaments in India this year. This was announced by K. Govindaraj, President of Basketball Federation of India, after the annual general body meeting here on Saturday.

The FIBA Asia Cup for women will be held in July tentatively scheduled in Bangalore while the FIBA U-16 girls’ championship will be held in October-November in India, the city is not decided yet.

On the future of UBA pro-league, Govindaraj said: “we have left it to our sub-committee to submit a report in due course of time.” It later emerged late in the evening that BFI has approved the fourth edition of the UBA league. It will be held from February 16 in two legs; first leg will, possibly, be in Chennai.

The senior National championships will be held in Telangana while the junior Nationals in UP and the youth in Chandigarh. The last event in the 2016-17 BFI calendar, the Federation Cup, will be held in March in Chennai while its next edition will feature in Andhra Pradesh.

On BFI not getting complete Government support, which is affecting players as they are not getting appointments in Government sectors, Govindaraj said, “it is really unfortunate as according to International Olympic Charter 28, if the World body (FIBA) has given the recognition to us, it is the duty of the Government to support.”

On whispers that negotiations between BFI, Poonam Mahajan (President of Maharashtra State Basketball Association) and Roopam Sharma (Secretary, Delhi Basketball Association) are on for a patch-up, Govindaraj replied: “When both the Associations have taken part in the meeting and their teams in the Nationals, where and what is the problem? That question you should ask them [Poonam and Roopam].

Govindraj said India doesn’t need a foreign coach but requires foreign trainers. “We are working on it,” he said.

It was also announced that a National league has been planned this year, which will be held after August followed by a professional league by the end of the year.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment