FIBA World Cup: 'India taking "positivity" from Germany's win,' says BFI President
The statement came following a ‘watch party’ organized by BFI, with India’s top men’s and women’s basketball players in attendance.
When it comes to team sports like basketball, there’s a lot that countries like India can learn from Europe.
The new BFI President Mr Aadhav Arjuna certainly thinks so.
In an Instagram post shared yesterday, the President had this to say following Germany’s recent World Cup triumph:
“Conveying my best wishes to Team Germany for winning their first ever FIBA World Cup title. This has been the result of the hard work that the team exhibited over the last 15 years. We know that it needed a lot of sacrifices and the team rose up to this challenge.
We in India, are taking this positivity from Germany to work towards our journey to the centre-stage in the world of Basketball. We have a dream. We have a goal. We have a responsibility to our country too.
We are bringing a new system for Basketball in India. I sincerely urge all players, coaches, office-bearers and referees to adapt to it. It's an extensive plan towards our common long-term goal. We're looking forward to share this extensive restructuring plan with you all very soon.
We need a change in India to get to this level. A change in momentum with players, with our coaches, and our office-bearers.
We watched the finals as a team together and celebrated Serbia coming second in this tightly-fought game with our coach Veselin Matić who is from there. It's not a simple feat to have reached this spot. Hard luck to Team Serbia.”
The BFI President’s remarks came following a ‘watch party’ for the World Cup, with the country’s top men’s and women’s players - who are gearing up for the upcoming Asian Games - in attendance.
The Indian men’s team is currently ranked 82nd in the world, having witnessed a steep decline over the last 10-15 years. So it’s a very long road towards coming anywhere close to the top European or North American teams.
But constructive statements such as those of the BFI President point to better days ahead, provided they are matched by the corresponding right action.