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India's Women's Wheelchair Basketball clinches bronze in world meet

  • The Women's Wheelchair Basketball team of India bagged bronze at the 4th Bali Cup International Tournament held in Bali, Indonesia
  • They achieved the feat with a practice session spanning only 15 days before the tournament
  • They practiced almost without any facilities, some of them did not even have proper wheelchairs
Indias Womens Wheelchair Basketball clinches bronze in world meet

The differently-abled sportspersons of India have been in the limelight since last year's Paralympics. However, many sports for the disabled still do not get the attention it should.

Braving all odds, the Women's Wheelchair Basketball team of India bagged bronze at the 4th Bali Cup International Tournament held in Bali, Indonesia from July 28-July 30.

They achieved the feat with a practice session spanning only 15 days before the tournament.

The Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India (WBFI) had conducted a selection camp in Chennai in June this year to identify talent under the guidance of Australian Coach Bradley Ness, after which training camps were held for both teams in Pune. While the women's team was sponsored by the Australian Consulate in Chennai, the men's team was supported by a trust run by contributions from the staff of Standard Chartered Global Business Services Pvt. Ltd.

The team consisted of 12 people from different states in India. “It was a great experience and we are happy that we were able to win a bronze medal even though it is the first time a Paralympics women’s team was representing India,” said Vinolia Violet, the captain.

However, they practiced almost without any facilities.

“We are trying to find indoor places to practice, if we do it outdoor we will have to keep changing the wheelchair tires. Many of the players do not have proper courts to practice and some of them do not even have proper wheelchairs so some of them just do ball practice. So imagine if we are given better facilities what we will be able achieve,” said Viniola.

 Madhavi Latha, the president of the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India said that the team was the least experienced ones and they played using basic sports wheelchairs. But the players outlived all expectations and performed well.  

 

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