IFSG identifies 13 ‘Stars of Tomorrow’

The list includes golfer Viraj Madappa, tennis player Pranjala Yadlapalli, swimmer Advait Page and squash player Yash Fadte.

World boxing champion Mary Kom blesses the young brigade at a function in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Golfer Viraj Madappa, tennis player Pranjala Yadlapalli, swimmer Advait Page and squash player Yash Fadte are among the 13 players chosen by the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) as part of its ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ programme.

The 13 athletes will be offered critical support towards the achieving their sporting goals. The final 13 athletes were chosen by the Go Sports Foundation after scrutinising the 168 applications that were received from parts of the country.

At a city hotel on Wednesday, the youngsters were given away certificates by World boxing champion, MC Mary Kom. Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, the former General Manager (Game Development) at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), John Loffhagen, president of IFSG were present for the programme. Dream 11 Foundation, the primary contributor to the programme, handed over a cheque of Rs 3 crore to the IFSG to support the cause.

“Talking about the future, we need more support. Without that, you cannot reach the highest level. If we are backed well, we can get more medals,” Mary Kom said.

The list of athletes selected

Viraj Madappa (Golf), Pranavi S Urs (Golf), Nethra Kumanan (Sailing), Ananya Anil Dabke (Squash), Jaivir Singh Dhillon (Squash), Utkarsh Baheti (Squash), Yash Fadte (Squash), Advait Page (Swimming), Khushi Dinesh (Swimming), Suvana C Baskar (Swimming), Aryan Goveas (Tennis), Pranjala Yadlapalli (Tennis), Siddhant Jagdish Banthia (Tennis).