Taking inspiration from the BCCI’s special fund to support sports other than cricket, the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) has decided to extend monetary support to two rifle shooters — Vijay Pardhasardhi and Chaitanya Naidu — and chess player MR Lalith Babu for this year.
The ACA is the first state cricket association that has decided to support sportspersons other than cricketers.
ACA will bear the airfare and other expenses of Lalith Babu for the Dubai Open Grandmaster Chess Tournament to be held from April 25 to May 5. The two shooters will be given Rs one lakh each towards their expenses in national-level tournaments.
Confirming this, ACA general secretary V Chamundeshwaranath told HT on Saturday, “We have earmarked Rs 15 lakh annually for this purpose and set up a three-member committee.”
The focus would currently be on four sports. Besides the shooters and chess players, archers and swimmers would also be extended support through this scheme.
Chamundeshwaranath said this was ACA’s own initiative and is not connected to BCCI’s Centre of Excellence scheme.
“We have introduced this scheme to help sportspersons who are not well off. Apart from sponsoring their participation in tournaments, we will also provide equipments and sponsor them if they have to go abroad for training,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“We have introduced this scheme to help sportspersons who are not well off. Apart from sponsoring their participation in tournaments, we will also provide equipments and sponsor them if they have to go abroad for training,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Lalith Babu is a 16-year-old National Junior Champion. Pardhasardhi and Naidu, who are siblings, are young rifle shooters who have won a number of medals for Andhra Pradesh.