Cricket for the visually challenged in Telangana is expected to take a new direction as the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) allotted the T-20 World Cup championship (for visually challegned) to the city and the event will be held at the Lal Bahadur Stadium on February 10.
According to G.K. Mahantesh, Founder Managing Trustee of Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled and president of the CABI, right now about 25,000 visually challenged persons play the sport and they have targeted to cross 10 million mark over the next few years.
“The whole endeavour is to promote the cause of these spirited cricketers and not look at them with some sympathy. They don’t need that and all they need is opportunities,” he pointed out after the formal announcement of the match here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally inaugurate the World Cup in Delhi on January 28. Australia, Bangladesh, England, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies, besides India, will feature in this event.
“The earlier World Cups were held in a single city. Now, with the specific objective of creating awareness about this event, we have decided to host them in 10 cities,” he said.
“We are grateful to the Government of Telangana for its unstinted support in promoting our cause,” he said.
For his part, Mr. S. Niranjan Reddy, vice-chairman of the Telangana Planning Board, too hoped that the World Cup semifinal should be a huge inspiration for many more visually challenged persons to take up the sport.
State chairman of the Sports Authority of Telangana A. Venkateshwar Reddy promised to put in place best facilities for the event.
Subu M. Kota, president of the Samarthanam Trust and a resident of Boston (US), felt that by opening their and the CABI office in the city, the visually challenged and the differently abled children would be greatly benefited.
Interestingly, the organisers said the cost of hosting this World Cup was about Rs 8 crore and the CABI appealed to Government organisations, corporates and philanthropists to help in a big way to make the event a success.
