Pradeep Kumar Sahoo is 64 and will represent India at the second Asia Pacific International Gateball Championship at Taoyuan in Taiwan next month. The academician started playing gateball only last year. Age, clearly, is a number for him.
Despite being in the field of academics for the last four decades, Sahoo never skipped a chance to pursue his interest in sports, cycling and swimming in particular. Serving as dean of Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), an engineering college under Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan university, he also is a member of Rotary club in B h u b a n e s w a r (north).
It was a fellow member Sarat Kumar Patra who recommended him to try his hands at gateball. Sahoo played the game just for three days at the Indian Gateball Union (IGU) field in Unit-III here during July last year and was hooked to it. To hone his gateball skills further, he registered himself with the IGU and became a regular. He came to limelight when he played a doubles match in the city last year but his team lost in the semi-finals.
Despite his hectic schedule in college, Sahoo did not stop practice. His hardwork paid off during a series between four teams in September last year. The team consisting of Sahoo and four other players won the gateball series. Ranjan Kumar Patra, captain of the team selected by IGU to represent India in international competitions, noticed Sahoo’s game and motivated him to develop his skills further.
“Sports are the best way to keep the mind and the body relaxed. During my school and college days, I played cricket, football, volleyball and table tennis really well,” said Sahoo. The Asia Pacific International Gateball Championship which he will take part would consist of classic, triples and doubles events and be held from October 4 to 7.
“It will be an exciting tournament and a moment of pride for me to represent the country in an international tournament,” said Sahoo. Gateball, invented in Japan by Suzuki Kazunobu in 1947, is a mallet team sport inspired by croquet. It is a fast-paced, non-contact, highly strategic team game, which can be played by anyone regardless of age or gender. The game is popular in China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan with a growi n g presence i n other countries.