Need to reinvigorate the spirit of playing, says Viren Rasquinha
Mumbai residents of all age groups can take part in the franchise based 16 games which will be played over 12 weekends, starting December 14.
Rasquinha gives thumbs up to Mumbai Games, an amateur sporting extravaganza while Bhagwat feels it will help people understand non-spectator sport like shooting.
Mumbaikars will witness amateur sporting extravaganza — Mumbai Games, from next month. City residents of all age groups can take part in the franchise based 16 games which will be played over 12 weekends, starting December 14.
Conceptualized by SportzConsult and accredited by the Maharasthra Olympic Association (MOA), Mumbai Games aims to get Mumbaikars to come out and play. Yesteryear champions in different sports fields Pullela Gopichand, Anjali Bhagwat and Viren Rasquinha are part of the Governing Council. The City Games will be subsequently launched in other cities as well.
Former Hockey Olympian from Mumbai, Rasquinha felt he got maximum exposure by playing many sports. “The time I spent on the streets of Bandra while growing up, playing multiple sports like Hockey, Football, Seven Tiles and Gilli Danda were first exposure to sports and most cherished memories with friends. Games like hockey at that time witnessed huge crowds and through this initiative it will bring back that much needed zeal.
“We need to reinvigorate the spirit of playing sports in the city. We cannot be a one-sport loving nation. We need to be a sport playing nation,” he said.
Former World No 1 shooter in 10m Air Rifle, Anjali Bhagwat, mentioned that getting players to participate in non-spectator sport like shooting is difficult so these Games will help kids understand the sport.
“Mumbai Games also ensures a huge spectator base. Lot of parents, friends and people from the local community can come and view their wards playing. It would boost the morale of the kids and help them understand nuances and technicalities of certain sports like shooting and archery. This will be a boost for the city and should be replicated in every city in the coming years,” says Anjali.
Gopichand, Chief Coach for the Indian badminton team said, “This is an absolutely unique concept for India. This will ensure that people do not just enjoy watching sports on TV / Mobile but also to experience the joy of playing. One need not be great at a sport to experience the magic of sport. I believe what Marathons have done for running as a sport, City Games will do for all the other sport. Mumbai Games has the potential to achieve this success and I congratulate them for this endeavor.”
“We believe in the immense power of sports. At the individual level, it has the power to provide 3H — Health, Happiness and Holistic Education. And at the Community level, City level and at the Country level it has the power to bind people,” says Jitendra Joshi, Co-Founder and Director, SportzConsult.
FORMAT OF THE GAME
Contingent format: Mumbai will be divided into eight Contingents across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region ranging from Virar to Churchgate to Navi Mumbai and Thane region. Participants residing in a region will be assigned a Contingent based on his / her pincode. The format will allow the participant to go beyond themselves or their sports team and to represent their contingent / ‘ilaaka’ as a Mumbaikar would say.
The Mumbai Games will follow a first-of-its-kind franchise model for amateur sports, where each Contingent will be owned by a franchise owner — people who are passionate about sports. The players will be divided into two divisions Elite and Amateur, where in the participation in the Elite division will include a pool of top seeded players which will be created and will be assigned to the teams through an auction. To give opportunity for the amateurs to compete with the players of their own level, Mumbai Games will have two Cups in the Amateur Division.