Ludhiana, June 2
The stage is set for the 54th Junior National Basketball Championship (boys and girls) which will be organised by the Punjab Basketball Association (PBA) here at the Guru Nanak Sports Complex from June 7 to 14.
The venue for this mega event will be the indoor basketball stadium, constructed two years ago when Punjab played host to the National Games in 2001. Ludhiana is hosting the Junior National Meet for the second time. Earlier, the city played host to the national meet in the year 1992.
The indoor hall has been spruced up. It has been renovated. Two dormitories prepared in the basketball stadium for the “Ludhiana Basketball Academy” run by the PBA under its talent search scheme have also been given a facelift. Fans and water taps have been installed. This indoor hall has a terraflux surface, portable baskets with pressure release rings, an electronic scoreboard and the 24-second device will be used during this championship.
According to Mr Teja Singh Dhaliwal, honorary general secretary, PBA, more than 50 teams comprising around 800 participants and officials would take part in this year’s tournament being sponsored by an NRI, Mr Harjinder Singh Dhanoa from the UK. During this meet, hundred matches will be played. Besides, the indoor stadium, two outdoor floodlit courts would be used for the league matches.
Mr Dhaliwal informed that the arrangements for the accommodation of the participants and officials had been completed. The boys teams would be lodged in hostels at the Government College for Boys while girl participants would stay at Government College for Women hostels. The officials would be provided accommodation at the Punjab Agricultural University guest houses. At all these places, the necessary STD facilities were being provided for the players and the officials.
Mr Teja Singh further said that the PBA had made elaborate arrangements to receive the teams at the local railway station. The transportation of the participants and the officials from their places of stay and the venue of the meet had also been completed. The organisers had planned a grand cultural programme for the opening ceremony. A daredevil show by motorcyclists from the Punjab police would be the main feature during the inaugural function. A souvenir, containing detailed information regarding all major national and international tournaments, would be released at the concluding function, Mr Singh said.
Meanwhile, Mr Rajdeep Singh Gill, president, PBA, visited the city to review the arrangements made at the venue, hostels and guest houses where the players and the officials would be staying. He also constituted an organising committee for successful conduct of the meet.
Mr S.K. Sharma, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, would be the chairman of this committee and Mr Gurpreet Singh would be its organising secretary. The committee has three vice chairmen — Mr S.K.S. Sandhu, Mr Yurinder Singh and Mr Prem Chand. Mr Balbir Kumar Gupta would be the additional organising secretary of this committee.
Hosts Punjab (boys) have been the champions for the past three years (Sarkaghat in 2000, Bhilai in 2001 and Goa in 2002) while Chhattisgarh are the defending champions in the girls section.
