KOCHI: Actor Rima Kallingal, Mayor Soumini Jain and playback singer Sayanora were among those who pledged support for the game of basketball at the Regional Sports Centre here on Wednesday, ahead of the International Hoopathon series between national champions Kerala and Australian side Ringwood Hawks.
The tournament will see matches in five cities - Kochi, Thrissur, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode - between the Kerala women and the Australian Big-V League side between November 5 and 12. It is being organised by Team Rebound, an organisation of former basketball players, with support from the Basketball Federation of India, Basketball Australia and the Kerala State Sports Council.
“Kerala girls had won the national championship earlier this year after 32 years and we want them to continue their success,” said former international Leelamma Santosh, a Team Rebound member. “That’s why we took the effort to bring an international team so that our players get the exposure to improve. When I used to play, Punjab contributed almost half the national team. We want that to happen with Kerala soon.”
In the promotion campaign, celebrities showed their support for basketball by shooting the ball into the hoop. Rima took two attempts to find the basket while Sayanora - who also performed the Rebound theme song she had originally sung - got it right on her fourth attempt. Other personalities included Anjali Kurian, Sheila Kochouseph Chittilappilly, Lakshmi Ramachandran and Remy Muthoot.
The statewide campaign was launched by Gowri Lakshmi Bai and Aditya Varma, members of the erstwhile Travancore royal family, in Thiruvananthapuram on October 13. The public can also support the campaign by dialling 9015530055 or through the website www.hoopathonkerala.com.
The series is a follow-up activity for the Kerala Hoopathon launched on December 21 last year during the occasion of the 125th ‘birthday’ of basketball. As part of the initiative, around 12,500 first-time hoopsters from 125 schools across the state had surpassed the target of scoring 1,25,000 points in an hour.
Kerala will face the Melbourne-based Hawks featuring the likes of former Australia U-17 star Meinking Amanda, Danielle Bone and Tropiana Natasha Maree. The Kerala team for the series includes India internationals Jeena P S, Grima Merlin Varghese and Anjanna P G who were part of the successful national championship campaign.
Fixtures
Kerala vs Ringwood Hawks
November 5 - Regional Sports Centre, Kochi
November 7 - VKN Menon Indoor Stadium, Thrissur
November 9 - Kerala State Sports Council Indoor Stadium, Kottayam
November 11 - Jimmy George Indoor Stadium, T’Puram
November 12 - V K K Menon Indoor Stadium, Kozhikode