India announces basketball team for Youth Olympics

New Delhi: India will send a four-strong boys team for the basketball competition of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore from August 14. The basketball tournament will feature a three-on-three, half-court format, and will include 20 countries from around the world. The Indian men’s team has been drawn in a group with Serbia, Greece, Puerto Rico, and New Zealand. After a tryout held at Ludhiana among nine probables from July 22 to August 11. The team comprises Shyam Sunder (Chhattisgarh), Sukhjeet (Delhi), Amit Kanarjee (Madhya Pradesh) and Kirti Goswami (Madhya Pradesh). Each game will be 15 minutes long with three quick five-minute periods. The first team to 33 or the team that is leading at the end of regulation time wins. Other countries taking part in the men’s competition are Argentina, Iran, Lithuania, Panama, Egypt, Israel, Singapore, Turkey, USA, Central African Republic, Philippines, Spain, South Africa, US Virgin Islands, and Croatia. Before this, India will play against teams from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal from August 12 to 14 at Bangalore. This is the Middle Asia Zone qualifying round for the 21st FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Men. If India win the qualifying round, they will take part in this championship in Yemen, from September 22 to October 1. The top three teams from this championship will play in the FIBA U19 World Championship 2011 in Latvia. The Indian team for this event is – Ajay Pratap Singh (Chhattisgarh), Sameer Kumar Rai (Chhatisgarh), Ankit Panigrahi (Chhattisgarh), Ankit Singh Parihar (Madhya Pradesh), Bobby Singh (Uttar Pradesh), Shyam Sunder (Chhattisgarh), Sukhjeet (Delhi), Amit Kanarjee (Madhya Pradesh), Kirti Goswami (Madhya Pradesh). PTI