The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has taken a number of steps to wipe away the disappointment of missing the Asian championship for the Indian under-18 women.
In a whimsical move, FIBA Asia had chosen the much lower ranked Maldives ahead of India for the championship.
“Why are we not having a SABA zonal championship for women in that age group? It is discriminatory when we have a competition for the boys. India is ready to host any tournament,” said the president of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), Aadhav Arjuna, during a media interaction in the Capital.
Assuring all support for the under-18 women players, Arjuna said that an exposure tournament has been planned for the under-18 teams in Russia. The training camp for the same will be held from July 9.
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“We will call everyone. The under-18 players are the future of India. We stand strongly with the players. We are ready to support their education and give them scholarships. We tell them to stay strong. There will be a number of opportunities. Be ready”, said Arjuna, suggesting that he would write a strong message to the world and Asian bodies, demanding a professional system that would respect merit and talent.
“We request the zonal and regional bodies to conduct tournaments for both men and women. Choose the best teams”, he said.
On a different note, the BFI president also assured that the national championships would be held a lot more professionally from next season, with similar treatment for every team, in terms of good quality accommodation, food and other facilities.
There are also several initiatives in the pipeline to strengthen Indian basketball and make it an enjoyable experience for everyone associated with the game.