540 girls from 15 regions compete in CISCE national basketball tournament in Noida

The national-level girls’ basketball tournament under the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) commenced at St

The national-level girls’ basketball tournament under the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) commenced at St. Joseph’s School in Sector Alpha-1, school officials said.

Rev. Fr Jipson Palatty, principal of St Joseph’s School, said the institution aims to give students opportunities to compete at the national level. (HT Photo)

The three-day competition brings together around 540 young basketball players from 15 regions across the country, officials added.

Indian basketball player Harsh Dagar and Indian field hockey player Romeo James were the chief guests at the inaugural event. Addressing the young players, Dagar said: “Every player should keep honesty, hard work and the goal in mind. Success and failure are only two milestones; it is essential to move forward with determination from one milestone to the next.”

Arnav Kumar, games and sports manager at CISCE, said: “About 540 talented players have come to compete in three categories: under-14, under-17 and under-19. They have reached this stage after competing in regional matches. From here, 12 players will be selected for further competitions,” Kumar said.

The matches are being held at St Joseph’s School, which has two basketball courts. He added, “Schools submit their options from across India. Based on the location, the quality of the basketball grounds and the accommodation facilities available, we decide on the school that will host the competition.”

The participating regions include Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Bihar and Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, North India, North West, North East, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Rev. Fr Jipson Palatty, principal of St Joseph’s School, said the institution aims to give students opportunities to compete at the national level. “We create spaces for these students so that they have an opportunity to come and play. The classes are being held online today, while the next two days have been kept off so that the students can participate in the tournament,” he said.

Players said they were looking forward to competing against teams from across the country.

Ananya Thakkar, 17, a member of the Uttarakhand team, said her team had started the tournament confidently after defeating Chhattisgarh.

“We have competed against one team so far, Chhattisgarh, and we beat them with confidence. I have been playing basketball for around 10 years and want to continue playing, regardless of the level,” she said.

Tanisha, 16, who is representing Uttar Pradesh, spoke to HT before heading for her match. She said, “We have a great chance of winning. There is a lot of pressure, and we have to manage it along with our studies.”

Around 3.30pm, the matches were interrupted by heavy rain, and later resumed around 5:30pm.

Officials told HT that an additional day has been kept as a buffer to make up for any matches that may be postponed due to the rain.