SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Sept 26: Former champion and senior vice-president of Dhanbad Badminton Association Rakesh Tiwary has kick-started free of cost special training camp to hone the skill and stamina of budding players of the district.
He said the main mission of his campaign is to ensure interested and talented junior players do not suffer for facility and knowledge of the game in their endeavour.
Tiwary said that in the last 8 to 10 years, players of Dhanbad have excelled in state tournaments of Under-11, 13, 15, 17 and 19. They can perform at national and international levels too, provided their skills and stamina are honed properly.
“So, I have taken up the gauntlet to improve their basic requirement so that they could move ahead for achieving the mission of sports life,” said Tiwary, the former champion who returned to the court in a new role after one and half decade.
The former champion said the district badminton association, especially president BSP Roy and secretary Samrat Choudhary are serious to prepare the players and have extended full support for his campaign. BSP Roy (former president of Jharkhand Badminton Association) helps players from his Anpurna Memorial Trust with kits and other facilities.
He said time takes in becoming a player and all depends on dedication, patience and hard work. Without hard work, the mission can’t be achieved. A beginner has to run at least two to three km four days a week while district-level players have to run at least 10 km.
He said there is no dearth of talent in our players but most of them lagged in a lack of family support. “In this educational age, talented players do not get the family support that they should. I can claim if parents give two to three years to their district level player, of course, he would get the desired result,” said Tiwary.
Rakesh Tiwary said match exposure and watching tournaments of high ranks players also improve the standard of the game. But Dhanbad players do not get an opportunity at par with their counterparts of Jamshedpur and Ranchi. Association has requested the deputy commissioner for expanding to more courts in the stadium so that national rank tournaments could be organized.
