The Hindu : Sport / Basketball : Shortage of funds may affect players' trip

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 16, 2004

Sport

Sport - Basketball

Shortage of funds may affect players' trip

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MAY 15 . A 35-member Andhra Pradesh contingent is hoping to take part in the South Zone-Sri Lanka National basketball championships at Colombo, Sri Lanka from September 8 to 12. In the fray will be the host's national squad, national champion Tamil Nadu, runner-up Kerala and semifinalist Karnataka.

With no funds earmarked for the tournament either by the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh or the Basketball Federation of India, the onus is on Andhra Pradesh Basketball Association (APBA) Joint Secretary, Norman Isaac to raise Rs. 4 lakhs required to make it to the `Pearl of the Orient.' Most of the AP players are students from economically backward families, many of who took part in the earlier editions of the tournament in Chittoor, Tiruvalla and Yanam with difficulty.

To cut costs, the squads hope to leave from Chennai for Colombo. The return airfare is estimated at Rs. 3.5 lakhs, says Isaac, who's negotiating with travel agents and airline officials to arrive at the most inexpensive package. Most players and officials have no passports either, meaning more expenditure to obtain them.

For many members of the men and women's squads, this would be their first international outing. Competition in the league-format tournament is expected to be keen, but will the AP team get a taste of the action is the question.

Even as the APBA Joint Secretary articulates hopes of rustling up the money through donations/sponsorships and a souvenir, his mobile phone rings. It's an SOS from Kareem Rose Khan. The promising forward has no bus fare to return home from the ongoing state camp at the YMCA, Secunderabad!!

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