Local leagues fill youngsters with hope, says Sharath

CHENNAI: Four time Olympian, Commonwealth games medallist Sharath Kamal, who recently led the Indian table tennis contingent at the Asian Games where Sutirtha and Ayhika Mukherjee claimed the country’s first ever women’s double Asiad medal was in attendance at the CKL final in Chennai on Saturday.

Speaking to DT Next, Sharath Kamal said that tournaments like CKL will play a significant role in instilling belief in children from humble backgrounds, letting them know that they can also achieve success. They have a platform that they can utilize to climb the ladder to reach the top.

This tournament has had an impact on the lives of 280 children today. I cannot fathom what these kids would have done without this tournament. Thanks to this event, these kids now look up to larger role models and are filled with hope, striving to reach state or national levels in their respective discipline of sports.

Sharath also heaped praise on the CSR activity, stating that conducting leagues like these with proper system, sound, integrating digital technology is rare.

“CSR activities like the CKL are indeed rare, and first and foremost, they should be directed in the right way. These kids may not necessarily become professional players in the future, but this single opportunity has provided them with a platform that could ultimately transform their lives,” he said.

In general, sports has the ability to teach important values, particularly teamwork.

I often emphasize that individuals who have participated in sports tend to perform well in organizational work-space. These attributes acquired through sports significantly assist people in their lives.