PROSQUASH
 Vol 10 No. 1   Issue No.37  January 2006

Directors : Mahendra Agarwal / Narendra Gour (I.R.S.) / Navneet Soni (I.R.S.) / Shiv Kumar Dhanuka Honorary Members : Bharat Bhushan (I.R.S.) / Saifee Jani / Rakesh Lakhanpal / Ashish Gupta / Vicky Kalludi / Sanjay Goyal / Ashok Nagpal Patrons: Vivek Nair (VC & M.D.The Leela) / Sajjan Jindal (Chairman & M.D. Jisco) / Eric  Dastur (Chairman, K.M. Dastur Reinsurance Brokers Pvt. Ltd.) Advisors : Pradeep K. Vijayakar/ Shiv Malhotra / Swikriti Sharma P. R. O : Noreena / Global Ambassador / Anisha Sawhney Technical Director : Amitoj Inder Singh Chief Co-ordinator : Riaz Mohammed

MITTAL’S  LARGESSE WILL FAST-TRACK JOSHNA’S PROGRESS IN WORLD LADDER

Mr. Lakshmi Narayan Mittal (Chairman and Chief Executive of Mittal Steel Company) along with Mr. Praful Patel (Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India) and Mr Murli Deora

Joshna Chinappa will no longer have to punch holes into the pockets of dad Anjan. Another parent has come forward. It is the Mittal Champions Trust which has chosen Joshna as the first sportsperson to be encouraged. Indian tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi is leading the trust and plans to rope in more knowledgeable people into the trust. Joshna says she can play the world circuit with a free mind.  Joshna says the sponsorship will fast-track her progress in the WISPA circuit. At first she had planned to play the Asian Seniors Championship in February and then plan for the Commonwealth Games.  Now because of the sponsorship Joshna says she is contemplating playing in the American events of the WISPA (women's) pro circuit. ``I can decide which event to play which to skip.'’ So it will be squash and nothing else. India's all-time great women's player Bhuvaneshwari Kumari says knowing Joshna's talent and propensity to work hard she has no doubt that Joshna will make a mark on the pro circuit. What will happen to her normal life, say studies. ``What studies,'' Joshna asks.

She then becomes serious and says:``I  have chosen an easy subject English literature. But studies will take a back seat though not a back, back seat.'' Joshna has followed Sania Mirza as brand ambassador of the health ministry. But she hasn't done any work so far. ``The government got busy with the earthquake relief operations and my promotions got delayed. I am looking forward to this aspect of my life.

The main aim of the trust was to "identify, support and enhance" the performance of talented young Indian sportsmen and women", Chairman of Mittal Steel, Lakshmi Mittal, told reporters while making the announcement.

"We have set up a corpus of Rs 40 crore for the purpose. I was inspired by what I saw at last year's Olymic Games in Greece and was at the same time dismayed by the Indian performance," Mittal said. "I'm sure if Jharkhand can produce a (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni, there can be other talented sportspersons too in a vast country like India," he said.

Tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi, one of the trustees, said "the ultimate goal of the non-profit trust is to improve the performance of India at major global sporting events, starting with the Asian Games in 2006, followed by the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 Asian Games and ultimately the 2012 Olympic Games in London." The Board of Trustees includes Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid and Lakshmi Mittal, while former All England badminton champion Pullela Gopichand and ace woman long jumper Anju Bobby George are on its advisory board.

PLAN OF ACTION 

ØRs. 40 cr marked for the Mittal Champions Trust.
ØWork with all sports associations
ØProvide training to selected athletes in India and abroad, with focus on Olympic sports.
ØBoard of advisors along with sportspersons and their families will chart out career plans.     
ØTrust will cover all sports-related expenses, including training and nutritional expenses
ØCriteria for selection will be performance, results, drive, commitment and potential
ØMedals at Doha Asian Games, Bejing Olympics and 2012 London games are target.

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