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File picture of a baseball participant© AFP
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The Sports activities ministry has rejected hypothesis that it will contemplate harnessing the nation’s huge pool of aspiring cricketers to show them into baseball medal prospects on the Asian Video games or Olympics, saying that such an concept has by no means been mentioned or thought-about at any degree. A ministry supply stated that solutions that this got here up for dialogue on the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) assembly earlier this week are “wrong”, declaring that baseball will not be even a recognised nationwide federation at this level.
“This is completely imaginary. Baseball is not even recognised by the ministry. Why will SAI (Sports Authority of India) get into cricket or turning cricket players into baseball players?” a senior ministry supply stated.
Baseball has been part of the Asian Video games since 1994 and the Olympic Video games since 1992.
India has by no means participated within the occasion. The nation does have an Newbie Baseball Federation of India, which is affiliated to the game’s world physique, however it’s not recognised by the sports activities ministry, nor entitled to any funding from the federal government.
“This was not discussed at MOC meeting. We are busy ensuring that the we improve and build upon sports in which we are doing reasonably well, there is no time to get involved in something like this,” the ministry supply stated.
To faucet into nation’s cricket assets would require a level of coordination with the BCCI, which is an autonomous physique that generates its personal funds. Nevertheless for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the place cricket will make its debut in T20 format, the BCCI will probably be entrusted with staff choice.
In line with a senior official of the Board, no severe cricketer would contemplate shifting to baseball given how financially rewarding even state-level T20 leagues are at this level.
“Why would any aspiring cricketer turn to baseball? Is it a commercially viable career option? And especially when you have options like the IPL and state T20 leagues. Even the unofficial tennis-ball leagues are offering close to Rs 40-50 lakh per annum,” a senior BCCI official advised PTI.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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