Hundreds run to promote wheelchair basketball

Coimbatore: More than 700 people, 150 of them students, took part in a marathon on Sunday to raise funds to buy wheelchairs for differently abled basketball players and spread awareness on wheelchair basketball, a game in which the state teams have been performing well in national-level tournaments for the past two years.
Collector K Rajamani, who was the chief guest at the event, said the district administration would forward a note from the organizers to the state, requesting a sports institute in the city for differently abled people.
Organized by Sittruli Foundation, the marathon, ‘Run for Wheels’, began and concluded at the Ganga Spine Injury Rehabilitation Centre at Kavundampalayam. The event saw participation of school children to 95-year olds to differently abled people.
After the marathon, wheelchair basketball exhibition matches by both the men and women state teams were held. Organizers said the matches were conducted with an objective of taking the game to more people by spreading awareness on the same. “We have bought two sports wheelchairs with the proceeds of the event,” said J Gunasekaran, a representative of Sittruli Foundation.
The district collector, who witnessed the match, said the district administration would support the differently abled players. “Organizers of the event spoke of the need to have a sports institute for differently abled people. I have asked them to prepare a note on the same. The district administration would forward it to the state government.”
Dr S Rajasekaran, from Ganga Hospital, said they would support the cause and ensure that a sports institute of international quality would be set up in the city by 2025.