CHENNAI: Picture this. A mixture of handball and basketball. Now, imagine the same on wheels and voila — you have got roll ball. As the Netherlands in orange and Guinea in their red jerseys were zooming past each other trying to score, one couldn’t help but notice how fast-paced and entertaining the game is. Yet, as the 5th TVS Roll Ball World Cup is going on at the ICF Indoor Stadium in Chennai, the organisers were longing for a little more support on all fronts.
The plight is sad considering the sport originated in India. It was in 2003 when Raju Dabhade, a Pune-based PE teacher, came up with the idea of roll ball. Despite all the troubles he faced, one has to give him credit for making the game global — 27 countries from five continents are participating in the ongoing World Cup.
Raju’s friends and students also played a huge role in taking the game to different parts of the world. “When people I know travel abroad, I give them a package with videos and instructions. I ask them to reach out to the nearby sports clubs wherever they are staying and ask them to explain the game (to the people inside the clubs).”
And it is no surprise that in the social media age, some videos of the game went viral. For example, speaking to this daily, Guinea captain Mamadou Dian Barry said that he chanced upon the game on the internet. “We all play roll ball because we enjoy the sport. It gives us great pleasure. I found this game on the internet and I found it very interesting. There are so many players in Guinea. There is also a professional league that is televised back home,” said the 25-year-old playing his second World Cup.
Dutch skipper Wessel Teunisse also had an interesting story to share. “There was an ice skater who came to the Netherlands to practice. He knew about the sport and he met some students where he was training and that’s how we came to know about it. We play because it’s really beautiful. At first, it was kind of strange to us. But once we started playing, it was interesting and we loved it. Its different,” Wessel said.
But 16 years since the game was first played, the sport is still struggling with lack of sponsors and finances. In fact, most of the expenses for the World Cup in Chennai has been covered by families of players and the International Roll Ball Federation. “Our government is always saying ‘Make in India’. Here we have done exactly that. Now, its time for them to lend a helping hand,” Raju said.
