THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ‘I support Basketball’ campaign to promote the International Hoopathon Series 2017, began on the birthday of late Col G V Raja, the doyen of Kerala sports, at the Kowdiar Palace premises on Friday.
Erstwhile royal family members Ashwathi Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bai and Aditya Varma received the basketball from the Indian women’s basketball trio of Jeena Scaria, Grima Merlin Verghese and Anjana PS and shot the hoop successfully at a specially set up portable hoop to launch and endorse the campaign.
“I am so delighted to be part of this campaign; I wish it all success and am proud to say ‘I support Basketball’,” said Gowri Lakshmi Bai.
Former Indian captain Unwin Antony, Mohammed Iqbal (president, Team Rebound), Philip Zacharia (vice-president, Kerala Basketball Association), Joymon (president, Trivandrum District Basketball Association) along with several other former and current basketball players joined the campaign at the palace premises.
Mohammed gifted basketballs to the royal family on the occasion. International Hoopathon Series 2017 includes five basketball matches between the current national champions ‘Kerala All Star’ team and Australian BigV League Club ‘Ringwood Hawks’ to be played in five cities in the state between November 5 and 12.
The campaign is expected to garner public support through a missed call to 901 55 300 55 which registers as a vote for the campaign. Each missed call will generate an SMS which provides a link to endorse the campaign. Several prominent personalities from the cities hosting the International Hoppathon Series are expected to endorse the campaign, said a press statement.