Date:04/01/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/01/04/stories/2005010405821800.htm

Sport - Badminton

Bangalore to host National championship

NEW DELHI, JAN. 3. The next national basketball championship will be held in Bangalore in the last week of December.

The National junior championship will be staged in Pondicherry in May-June, while Chhattisgarh will host the sub-junior championship in the last week of April. The Youth National championship will be held in Jaisalmer in September-October.

"We will shortly decide the dates for the Federation Cup to be organised in a few weeks in Bhav Nagar, Gujarat,'' said Harish Sharma, general secretary of the Basketball Federation of India.

As in the last year, when five Indian teams competed abroad, efforts will be made to give more international exposure for the Indian players.

The women's team is likely to be fielded in the Asian Championship in China in June, and the Indian men's team in the Asian championship in Doha, Qatar, in September.

"We will try to host one of the qualifying tournaments for the Asian championship in March or April,'' said Harish Sharma. — Our Special Correspondent