SRINAGAR: Sports Council is all set to revive the Lawn Tennis sport in J&K through the respective game’s association.
Embarking on a mission, the Lawn Tennis Association under the guidance of J&K Sports Council is determined to take this sport to the nook and corner of all 20 districts and in this regard, extensive tennis activities are in pipeline.
The JKLTA has already conducted a week-long coaching camp at Srinagar in the month of October last year followed by one more camp in Jammu under the guidance of the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) coach. Both camps were received well by tennis lovers, who pitched for frequent camps of similar nature.
Speaking on the sidelines, Secretary J&K Sports Council Nuzhat Gull said that though Lawn Tennis Association of J&K has made a useful contribution to the promotion of Tennis by playing a major role in the successful conduct of the All-India Police Officers Tennis Championship, and North Zone Women Tennis Championship besides facilitating players in participating in various tournaments, yet the activities at grassroots were wanting.
With the revival of the sport, tennis is expected to regain the lost ground sooner than later, she added.
Honorary General Secretary J&K Lawn Tennis Association, Captain Murti Gupta added that the role of Secretary all through has been very encouraging and the special impetus given to the sports sector across the Union Territory can be gauged from the changing landscape of the sports sector, clubbed with the performance of athletes at both national and international platforms.
Captain Murti said that the association has prepared a calendar of activities for the coming months and efforts are on to form district bodies and take the game to the grassroots.
Speaking about the registration of aspiring tennis players, he said more than 50 children have been registered so far including a six-year-old kid. The association is running free coaching classes at Jammu on a regular basis to groom the young turks, Captain Murti added and camps in other districts shall follow soon.