P Gopichand, other noted sports persons to be at Sports symposium in Gujarat

Ahmedabad

Pullela Gopichand, Chief National Coach for Badminton in India, Ms. Reeth Abraham, Arjuna Awardee athlete, Mr. Sharath Gayakwad, Paralympian & Arjuna Awardee as well as Ms. Suma Shirur, World Record holder in 10 meter air rifle along with other experts would participate in a two day Sports Symposium of Happiness Reserves Foundation (HRF) to be held in Ahmedabad on April 23 and 24.

The Symposium’s aim is to inspire budding athletes, their parents and coaches by sharing the journeys of top athletes and coaches. It will have interactive knowledge-building workshops with leading experts on sports and life-skills. There will be sessions on communication and emotional intelligence to help athletes understand their own emotions, and to improve their level of self-awareness. A sports psychology session to help athletes, coaches and parents deal effectively with their challenges will also be held. The Symposium will equip parents and coaches to help young athletes to deal with their concerns and build a strong support system for them to grow further.

Addressing a press conference today Founder of the foundation and Director of Chiripal Group of Industries, Mr. Vishal Chiripal said that the vision of HRF was to identify and support budding sports talent in lawn tennis, badminton, table-tennis, swimming etc. The foundation wants to assist talented youngsters who have the will and the ability to excel in selected sports but have limited financial and other required resources for further growth. It will be collaborating with individuals, corporate, government and sports bodies worldwide to support talented sportsmen from Gujarat and other parts of the country so as to excel at national and international levels.

He said, “India and Gujarat has the potential to generate successful athletes in various sports, yet many of them fail because of improper guidance, lack of support from parents and insufficient financial assistance. To change this scenario, greater awareness in the field of sports in India is needed so as to widen the vision of these athletes, their parents as well as coaches.”

He said, “ we will be inviting experts from the field of Sports, Fitness, Diet & Nutrition, Anti-Doping, Physiotherapy & Sports Psychology to conduct open seminars with the participants consisting of athletes, parents and coaches. Each expert speaker will provide broad knowledge of their field, experience in the field of sports, share ideas to develop sports as well as teach techniques & guide athletes for a successful career. Also, we will be inviting young and emerging athletes to share their success stories to inspire other upcoming athletes.”

The other key participants in the Symposium would be Ms. Krushmi Chheda, Sports Nutrition & Fitness Expert, Dr. Tvisha Parikh, Sports & Exercise Medicine Consultant and Ms. Janaki Rajapurkar, Sports Psychologist.

– DeshGujarat