5th Winter Basketball Tournament begins in Ukhrul
Source: Chronicle News Service / R Lester Makang
Ukhrul, December 16 2022:
The 5th Winter Basketball Tournament 2022 got underway at the Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School (SHHSS) campus in Hungpung village here on Friday.
The tournament is being organised by the Wilders Club, Ukhrul under the aegis of the Manipur Basketball Association (MBA).
Ukhrul SDO Maibam Suranjoy Singh attended as chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the tournament which will conclude on December 18 .
The chief guest also hoisted the tournament flag and inspected the participating teams in the presence of Rev Fr Joseph M Thohri, asst Parish Priest, Sacred Heart, Hungpung; Wilders Club chairman Ts Ngachonmi and others.
Speaking at the event, Singh said that the tournament is being organised by the Wilders Club is a good step towards promoting Basketball in the district.
He said that basketball is relatively a new sport in Ukhrul district, compared to other disciplines such as football, volleyball and others which were introduced here long ago.
He went on to mention that the tournament which is providing a platform for the talented players not just from the district but from across the state, is proof that the game is gaining popularity in the district.
According to Singh, he learnt basketball to be a good game which can help in increasing height of the players as it involves a lot of leaping and body stretching movements, unlike other games.
"I wish all the team players play a good game.
I hope you all play well and continue to play and get a chance to play on the state and national platforms in the coming years," Singh exhorted the participants.
Talking to media persons, Ngachonmi informed that a total of nine teams from different parts of the state are participating in the tournament and will be vying for various top titles.
He recalled that Wilders Club was officially established in 2018, though the idea of the club took shape as early as 2002 when some club members started playing the game.
The Wilders Club hosted the first edition of the tournament back in 2018 following formation of the club in the same year, he said.
He also highlighted some challenges of the local players due to lack of standard basketball court.
"There is one basketball court at the Bakshi ground but is in a bad shape and can no longer be used for such tournament," he added.