Young shooters selected for training by Abhinav Bindra
Bangalore: In all, 30 top young shooters have been selected for training in Abhinav Bindra Foundation after a two-day workshop held at Sports Authority of India (SAI) Southern Centre in outskirts of the city on october 6 and 7. The Olympian announced the list of selected at a press conference here on Tuesday night after the program hosted by GoSports Foundation. The chosen shooters would be personally guided by the Olympic medalist. The rifle and pistol shooters range from ages 13 to 21 coming from across the country, poetically including a shooter each from J&K and Kerala. Commenting on the two day program, India’s only individual gold medalist Abhinav Bindra said “For me this was a wonderful experience, as a young and upcoming shooter it is imperative to stay on the right track and focus on the task at hand. I wouldn’t want these shooters to make the same mistakes I made or lose out in any way.” The foundation’s aim was to promote ‘Olympism’ and the sportsmanship spirit amongst youngsters whilst allowing them to solely focus on their sport. This Workshop is the ideal platform for us to be able to tap into this raw talent and help shape them into the supreme athletes of tomorrow, he added. Stating that each athlete would like to share knowledge and give back, Bindra said “Ater 2008 Beijing, I didnt want to shoot again but I wanted to try various things, this is one that excited me. Giving back and helping others is great feeling,” he added. (UNI)
ISL: Footballers to get insurance
Panaji: All franchisees of the high-profile Indian Super League have taken elaborate insurance covers for their players ranging from RS 50 to 60 crore. The insurance covers player salaries, apart from personal accident policy, Mediclaim, travel insurance, public liability and loss of ticketing for the clubs. The total insurance cover for the ISL, according to a source from a franchisee is approximately Rs 600 crore. Each franchise is spending close to Rs 50 crore while the league itself has a cover of Rs 200 crore. The ISL insurance cover is among the highest for a sporting event in the country, bettered only by the cash-rich Indian Premier league (Rs 1,100 crore). According to sources, major sports events like the Commonwealth Games in 2010 was insured for Rs 200 crore while the Formula One race held at the Buddh International Circuit Noida, had a cover of approximately Rs 500 crore. “This is for the first time, a football player is covered for insurance. If he is injured either during training or competition, the club will not have to pay his complete salary. Instead, it will be on the insurer who will foot the bill,” the official stated. (PTI)
Kerala prevail over Maharahtra
Chandigarh: Kerala prevailed over Maharashtrian by 53-44 in a thrilling girls encounter in the 31st Youth National Basketball Championship here today. Nivya Raj gave excellent scoring skills to top-score with 24 points. Nivya Raj was given good support by Anusha J P (12) and Ashwathi J (8). Shruti S waged a spirited fight to basket 24 points for Maharashtra. Nisha and Carina contributed 9 and 7 points, respectively, to make the match a thrilling affair. Riding on the fine performance of Sonika who netted 22 points, Himachal Pradesh defeated Uttarkhand girls by 42-33 points after trailing 8-11 at the end of first quarter. Sawah (14) and Rhea (8) were the main scorers for Uttarakhand. Hosts Chandigarh outoplayed Gujarat by 62-16. Chandigarh girls began with a bang by winning the first quarter with a 27-7 margin. In the second quarter, they did not allow their opponents to even have close look at the ring as they won this session by 12-0. Having taken a 39-7 points lead at half time, Chandigsrh players could afford luxury to playing a relaxed game. Still they won the third quarter by 15-4 and fourth and final by 6-5. (UNI)