Throwball: Indian players bag gold, but no recognition

The very first time the Indian team took part in the World Games Series, both the men's and women's throwball teams have won gold and created history.

The women’s throwball team had a close win against Pakistan—15-13, 15-12. The men’s team too won 15-13, 15-12 against Bangladesh in a nail-biting encounter.

The World Games, organised by Canada’s International Sports Council, were held in Kathmandu, Nepal for three days from June 15–18. Eleven countries participated in more than 40 different categories.

Congratulating the teams on their victories, Naresh Mann, General Secretary, Throwball Federation of India (TFI), told PTI,

"These players had worked hard to win a medal in the World Games. I hope the players will continue to illuminate the name of India."

But it is a sad reality that, excited as we were about the ICC Champions Trophy last week, we were equally clueless about the throwball teams' feats.

As it is a non-Olympic sport, funding is also a big problem. According to The Deccan Chronicle, Joint Secretary for TFI, P Jagan Mohan Goud, said,

 “As we had to fund ourselves, we could only take students who could afford to bear the costs themselves.”

But the players are not demotivated. They believe these victories will not only help them get funding but gain long-overdue recognition. Despite the lack of publicity and support, the players have already started preparing for the Asian Championship to be held in Hyderabad in a few months.

It is high time we started showing support to sports other than cricket so that these great performances become the norm.

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