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Too little too late
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The truckers' strike hit the first ever Asian Junior Basketball Championship here. But the State Association is braving the odds
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The Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex -- Photos: Murali Kumar K.
IT'S NOT all song and dance. The Karnataka State Basketball Association (KSBA) realised this from its experience of staging a mega event such as the Asian Basketball Championships for juniors.
The event from September 14 to 23, in which 16 countries are vying for honours, involves a budget of nearly Rs. 2 crore.
But then, that is not the only problem facing the secretary of the KSBA, K. Govindaraj, who also is the organising secretary of the championship, besides holding the prestigious post of Karnataka Olympic Association (KOA) President.
Not about money
"Money through sponsors is the least of my worries," Mr. Govindaraj had said almost two months ago, which he reiterated during a press conference two days ahead of the tournament.
The problem related to the All India Lorry Owners strike that hit the country on August 24. Though the venue was identified way back in January this year at the Asian Basketball Confederation in Japan, only the dates were left tentative — it being an Olympic year.
Though the month of August was identified, it was conveniently put off till mid-September, and this was indeed confirmed by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and the KSBA some time in July.
But then, what did the KSBA and the Department of Youth Services & Sports (DYSS) do, or not do, till August?
The specifications for the wooden floorings were given to a contractor from the U.S. and the job was expected to be completed by September 9, a deadline merely four days before the Championship.
The truckers' strike that caused a "truckload" of hardships all over the country haunted the organisers here too. With the Chennai Port, where the consignment from the U.S. was to be off-loaded, too "full", the shipment remained in Colombo. Could the organisers not seek an alternative?
Wood problems
With every passing day, the pressure only increased on the organisers and no solution was sought.
And the end result: the venue (Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium) was left punctured and peeled waiting for the "wood to arrive". With neither the Koramangala Indoor Stadium, which does not have wooden flooring, nor the indoor facility at SAI which, sadly, cannot boast of a spectator gallery, the organisers found in Corporator Chandrashekar's "gift" to his ward an answer — the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex — a saving grace.
The facility at Hanumanthnagar is of international standards as far as flooring and lighting are concerned. But again the seating capacity that the Complex can offer is only about a thousand.
New venue
The complex has a 200-metre athletic track besides facilities for badminton, table tennis, and billiards. But there was no inkling of a mega event of this nature being staged there, and so soon.
With the shift in the venue coming about only days ago, frantic efforts are being made to ready the infrastructure for the needs of the Championship.
The organisers are upbeat after the initial hiccup. And the boys — under-18 — who have gathered here from 16 countries across Asia are sure to provide a fare befitting the magnitude of the event. But who has gained from all this?
Surely not the game of basketball, a sport in which Karnataka, not long ago boasted of stalwarts who made the country proud.
Mr. Govindaraj and KSBA did gain a fresh lease, thanks to the "far sightedness" of Corporator Chandrashekar, but all this could have been a reality even at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor stadium if plans had been executed at an early date. "I am happy that at last, the show is on the road after all the hurdles. We are determined to hold a couple of matches, including the final at Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium once we have materials in place. For us in KSBA, it has been a big challenge and we take pride in bringing an international event of this size to Bangalore, which I am sure is bound to give a great fillip to the game in the State," Mr. Govindraj said, striking a positive note on the D-day of the event.
AVINASH NAIR
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