The Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Uppalam is buzzing with activity after a gap of nearly 10 years. About 400 table tennis players from 31 States are taking part in the senior national championship being held here after several years.
There is a palpable sense of excitement, especially among the local players as the stadium has opened its gates after a protracted renovation project.
“The last major table tennis match we conducted here was the cadet and sub-junior nationals in 2005-06,” said P. Karunakaran, Puducherry Table Tennis Association secretary.
And, the last time senior nationals was held in Puducherry was in 1996 where Chetan Baboor and Ambika Radhika bagged the titles.
For 16-year-old Oviya Kirubanandham, the reigning junior and women’s champion of Puducherry, coming back to the venue brought back a lot of memories. “ In 2004-05 I train here on all days for nearly two years. It was different then. So much has changed in the stadium, including the roofing,” she said.
Puducherry’s No.1 men’s paddler V. Sudarsanane had come to the stadium as a spectator when it hosted the sub-junior and nationals in 2005-06. “A lot has changed in the roofing part,” said the 17-year-old.
N. Ravichandran, coach of the Puducherry State men’s and women’s teams, felt that regular sporting events such as this would go a long way in helping the Union Territory gain a permanent foothold in sports.
“The infrastructure is not as good as it is in Chennai, Karnataka or Maharashtra. We are still in an infant stage. We have a long way to go. This sort of an event will definitely have a good impact in prompting the youngsters to take up the sport,” he said.
“There are only a few table tennis centres for children. There is no club structure where an established or a mediocre player can play,” he said.
It was creditable that despite the lack of proper training infrastructure, the Puducherry women’s team had reached the knock-out stage (pre-quarterfinals) for the first time.
Ravichandran is of the view that the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium can host national and international-level events in the future, which will certainly benefit the local sportspersons.
Oviya and Sudarsanane hope the authorities host regular camps for the Union Territory’s top paddlers and put more focus on the fitness part, an aspect where the paddlers have less knowledge about.
The paddlers point out that a lot of players have got injured by training incorrectly. They need exercises related to the sport. They also suggest that a small part of the stadium could be used regularly for table tennis training where a maximum of five tables could be reserved for State paddlers.
According to Karunakaran now that the stadium is back in business, it is the responsibility of the UT’s sports council to promote indoor games.
Puducherry, certainly, has more scope to progress on the sporting front. The reopening of the stadium should prompt the authorities to come up with a long-term plan for the development of sports and games.
So much has changed in the stadium -
Oviya Kirubanandam
