CSR: 3×3 Pro Basketball League Comes To India
Sports is an important component in socio-economic development of any country. It not only promotes productivity and fitness in the community but also helps in generating good leaders, reduces medical expenses, imbibes discipline and enhances social cohesion. Community participation in sport also represents the character and culture of a country.
India does not have much of a sport culture as yet. Other than cricket, no sport is given a significant importance. Pursuing a career in sports is not really encouraged by the society. In order to change this, the Ministry of Sports in India is working towards promoting various sports and developing better infrastructure for them. Even the film industry in India is doing its bit by promoting various sports and removing the stigma of having a career in sports. Several organizations and non profits are also working towards enabling, encouraging and promoting sports among the youth of the country
One such organization is Hi5 Youth Foundation that aims to revolutionize the state of basketball in India from the grassroot level. Hi5 currently supports over 1200 students across 13 BMC schools, one YMCA center, and one residential school. They identify young and promising talent across these schools and centers and nurture them to enhance their performance.
The fastest growing urban team sport in the world, 3×3 Basketball came to India for the first time with 3BL – 3×3 Pro Basketball League. Children from Hi5 Youth Foundation had the opportunity to not only learn a new format of the game but also meet their dream basketball superstars Satnam Singh, Amjyot Singh and PalpreetSingh Brar. The basketball icons made the children feel comfortable as they interacted with them, getting to know them better and encouraged them to chase their aspirations.
3BL is an Intellectual property of YKBK Enterprise Pvt. Ltd. that has been granted the exclusive rights by FIBA 3×3 for the Indian sub-continent, making it the first ever FIBA 3×3 recognised basketball league in India & the Sub-continent.
Usha Sundar, Co-founder of Hi5 Youth Foundation said, “Children are the future of a nation. For an emerging country like India, mental as well as physical development of underprivileged children holds the key to the progress of the nation itself, and their physical well being is the cornerstone of this progress.”
3×3 Basketball is a 10-minute high-speed basketball tournament and it officially became an Olympic sport in June 2017. It will be introduced in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The inaugural season of 3BL in India, featuring 12 teams with international and Indian sensations like Amjyot Singh, Palpreet Singh Brarand international basketball sensations like Bikramjit Gill, Inderbir Singh Gill, Leandro Lima and many more, will be played in six cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Aizawl, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. The winners of the tournament(s) will get to represent India at the FIBA World Tour(s).
R Sundar, Co-founder of Hi5 Youth Foundation said, “Sports brings cultures together and bridges gaps across generations. It is recognised as an essential element of learning through physical activities and games. These activities have been a great motivator to enhance the spirit of learning and leadership, especially amongst the children.”
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The CSR Journal Team
