Haryana Basketball: 16-Year-Old National Level Player Dies After Pole Collapses on Him
Second accidental basketball death in Haryana within a week raises urgent concerns over maintenance of sports infrastructure.
Rohtak, Haryana – A 16-year-old national-level basketball player, Hardik Rathee, died in a tragic accident on November 25, after a basketball pole collapsed on him during practice at a local court in Lakhan Majra, Rohtak.
Rathee, who recently represented Haryana at the 40th Youth National Basketball Championship in Puducherry, was training alone at the outdoor court of the Yuva Sports Club when the incident occurred.
Disturbing CCTV footage shows the young athlete running in from the three-point line, leaping to touch the rim, and clutching it, moments before the visible, worn-out pole uprooted and crashed directly onto his mid-section.
Nearby players rushed to rescue him, lifting the pole and backboard off his body, but Rathee succumbed to his injuries shortly after.
As per an official circular shared with Ekalavyas via WhatsApp, Haryana State Basketball Association confirmed the incident, announcing a statewide suspension of matches and all other sports activities for three days.
The association also urged strict safety audits of all basketball infrastructure, stating that the backboard and pole were found to be “severely rusted and structurally damaged.”
As per NDTV, police handed over the body to the family following a post-mortem and have registered a case.
Second Death in a Week?
Shockingly, this comes just days after a reported similar mishap in Bahadurgarh, where another teenage player suffered critical injuries when a basketball pole fell on him during practice at the Hoshiar Singh Sports Stadium. He was admitted to PGI Rohtak and died during treatment.
The back-to-back incidents have raised urgent questions about the safety and maintenance of sports infrastructure across Haryana, a State that has a strong history of producing numerous top athletes for India.
As the state’s basketball community mourns the loss of two young talents, it is calling for immediate action to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.
Rip