More than 300 students of Chennai Corporation Schools will have a unique opportunity to learn basketball skills from NBA player Isaiah Thomas on Wednesday.
Mr. Thomas will visit the Chennai School in Saidapet on Wednesday to train underprivileged students. The event is the first among a series of training sessions proposed to be held by the Corporation this year to improve standards of sports in slums.
Starting Wednesday, the civic body will conduct special coaching sessions for students selected from 284 schools across the city. Most of the boys and girls who have been selected to participate in the session belong to the weaker sections in the 2,800 slums across the city.
“Mr. Thomas will be the first among the players to visit Chennai Corporation Schools,” said an official of the Corporation.
Mr. Thomas will cover various aspects pertaining to health, skills and techniques as part of the coaching session. “We have already created modern basketball infrastructure in Saidapet Corporation Boys School. After the coaching session, more facilities will be created at other schools for such students,” said the official.
Work on design and creation of play infrastructure is already under way in a number of schools. Modern infrastructure for track and field events will also be created in Chennai Schools in Thiruvanmiyur, Nungambakkam and Bander Garden. “Outstanding athletes and coaches will soon visit such schools to motivate talented students,” said the official.
Facilities in Kodambakkam with separate training enclosures for girls and boys in a total area of 33 grounds will include courts for badminton, basketball, volleyball and shuttle, as well as a well-designed football ground. Students of all schools in the neighbourhood will be able to use such facilities.
