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Beach volleyball is back
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With Elliots Beach becoming a venue for beach volleyball, the game has got a new lease of life
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The National Beach Volleyball Championship on the Elliots Beach - Pic. by N. Balaji
BEACH VOLLEYBALL is back in Chennai with a bang. The Eighth National Senior Championship was hosted by the Kerala Sports Persons Association (KESPA) on the Elliots Beach, Besant Nagar, and it turned out to be a big hit at the new venue with more than 3,000 spectators watching the final day's proceedings and enjoying every moment of it. Though, in the past, the game was conducted on the Marina, it has been kept away from these sands for the last five years for various reasons. Hence, a different venue this time round. In fact, the Olympic sport faded away from the Marina since the late 1990s. Till that time several activities and major events were conducted on the world's second largest beach. Even Asian circuit championships were organised here in the early 1990s and soon a fan club for the sport was formed. The membership of the Marina Beach Volleyball Club swelled, luring even the regular indoor game players, who have now begun to show an increasing interest in the leisure-cum-money-spinning sport.
It was unfortunate that when the sport was gaining momentum the Marina became embroiled in a political controversy. Of course, lack of sponsorship and too many restrictions on the venue forced the Volleyball Federation of India's Beach Volleyball Council to look for alternative venues such as Goa and Tuticorin. But there is no place comparable to the Marina and the new venues are also facing problems.
Untapped potential
It is a pity that when Brazil is utilising the Copacabana [the world's largest beach] to the fullest by organising World championships regularly and luring tourists on a big scale, the Marina is yet to realise its potential.
Will beach volleyball ever be played again on these sands?
"Yes, it is possible to hold major events on the Marina. We have convinced the Chief Minister that this sport, in particular, should be played only on the beaches and she has agreed to look into the matter. We are expecting a favourable reply," says Martin Sudhakar, chairman, VFI BV Council. In fact, he is confident of hosting some Asian events again on the Marina in the near future. He is not worried about the venue now, but about the lack of sponsorship for the sport. "We wanted to host the event here and so made a suggestion in this regard to the Government. The Elliots beach is situated near a posh locality and the spectators are more disciplined. It being a residential area, a larger crowd could be expected. In any case, it was better to try new venues within the city. In fact, we had planned to go up to Muttukadu in case the Government refused permission to host the championship within the city limit," says Martin. He feels the Asian Council is ready to offer any event that India wishes to host but getting good sponsors is difficult. "It is a challenge. But we are doing our best to get some Asian events such as the Under 21 and Circuit Championships in the near future. I am thankful to KESPA for hosting the national championship on Elliots Beach. We need more such sponsors," says Martin. It is heartening to see that the game is getting a new lease of life in the city. It is not going to be just the Marina alone. Now Elliots Beach is also going to be a prominent beach volleyball centre. The State Government must provide more playing facilities on these beaches to produce quality players who can turn professionals and win laurels for the country. Pros in beach volleyball rake in thousands of dollars all over the world.
M. C. RAMAN
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