800 players from across country vie for top honours at Junior National Basketball Championship

The Punjab Basketball Association (PBA), an affiliated unit of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), has made arrangements for the visiting teams participating in the ongoing 75th Junior National Basketball Championship, being held here at Guru Nanak Stadium. The mega event began on September 2 and will conclude on September 9, with 58 teams comprising over 800 players (boys and girls) and officials from across the country vying for top honours.

The organising committee, headed by Swapan Sharma, Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, along with Teja Singh Dhaliwal, honorary general, PBA and Arjuna awardee and Paraminder Singh Bhandal, also an Arjuna awardee (basketball) and other dedicated and prominent persons as its members, has received appreciation from the participants for making arrangements for the event.

The PBA has worked with the local authorities to provide necessary support, including transportation and medical aid, to facilitate a successful tournament. Players and officials are housed in various hotels across the city, with the association ensuring their needs are met.

This correspondent talked to a cross section of players and officials, from Odisha, West Bengal, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Maharashtra and all of them expressed satisfaction over the arrangements including, food (vegetarian and non-vegetarian), lodging and transportation which are as per guidelines, set by the BFI.

“These arrangements aim to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all the participants who are here from the length and breadth of the country, allowing them to focus on their game without worrying about their dietary needs,” said Teja Singh Dhaliwal.

“Given the recent flood-like situation in the state and in Ludhiana, the PBA has taken extensive measures to cater to diverse dietary requirements, ensuring player safety, including choosing safe hotel locations, away from flood-prone zones and establishing emergency protocols,” said Dhaliwal.

Haryana boys beat

Madhya Pradesh 82-69

Haryana players gave a sterling performance to outplay last year’s bronze medallists Madhya Pradesh 82-69 in the boys section on the fourth day of the ongoing 75th Junior National Basketball Championship for Boys and Girls being organised by the Punjab Basketball Association under the auspices of the Basketball Federation of India at Guru Nanak Stadium here on Friday.

In the girls’ category, reigning champions Karnataka waged a spirited battle and survived many anxious moments against Haryana before romping home 57-46.

In the matches of the boys group, Kerala scored a comfortable 76-52 victory over Andhra Pradesh, Odisha went all out to pip Gujrat 75-69, Puducherry got the better of Goa 81-67, Delhi scored an emphatic 80-17 win against Sikkim, Chhattisgarh beat Meghalaya 48-34, Telangana defeated Manipur 89-52, Karnataka faced a little challenge from Arunachal Pradesh whom they routed 72-18, Uttarakhand outnumbered Tripura 61-43, West Bengal proved too good for Jammu and Kashmir as the former emerged winners 72-33 and Bihar made mincemeat of Andaman and Nicobar as they came out triumphant 64-9.

In the girls section, Rajasthan beat Telangana 76-34, Gujrat who, on the opening day of the championship, had defeated defending champions Karnataka, outclassed Uttar Pradesh 66-34 and Andhra Pradesh scripted 63-52 win over Puducherry.