Indian No. 1 Rohan Bopanna announces scholarship programme for nation's youngsters

In a first of its kind in Indian grassroots tennis context, the Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy (RBTA) and The Sports School have come together to start an integrated scholarship programme for tennis-playing youngsters across the country. The initiative was formally launched on Tuesday, 26th May through a webinar hosted by Bopanna alongside other key members of The Sports School, including its director, Dr Sankar UV. The School, and the resulting initiative, will be based out of the Indian city of Bangalore. 

The programme’s goal is to provide 100 per cent scholarship to youngsters and enable them to not miss out either in their studies or in their keenness to play tennis. To this end, the youngsters thus selected under this programme will be boarding at The Sports School and will get to hone on their tennis skills under the guidance of the RBTA coaches at the school. Currently, according to Bopanna, there are seven hard courts at the School.

Speaking to the press about the initiative, Bopanna said, “(I am) giving back to the sport. I would have loved to have a facility like this. I am sure there will be challenges but (I want to) give kids opportunities…”

One of the first challenges to the programme’s start has been on account of the nation-wide lockdown because of the pandemic. Bopanna said that because of the lockdown, the admission process has been extended, with 30th June being the last date for sending applications. A maximum of 60 students are expected to be covered under the scholarship under three separate age categories: Under-12, Under-14, and Under-16. The intake will be 20 children from each age bracket.

Reasons for Rohan Bopanna's Scholarship Plan

“(For the) first year, we are only looking at kids ranked at the AITA level,” said Bopanna, while explaining the admission criteria. He added that any child who has an AITA rank will be eligible to apply for the scholarship, regardless of the child’s position in the ranking. Likewise, Bopanna said that a potential student’s calibre would be assessed on the grounds of discipline, attitude, commitment, fitness, and tennis (playing). Once the assessment is made and the students are selected, Bopanna said that each student could come to Bangalore to see the campus and the environment for oneself.

However, the Indian no. 1 also said that the scholarship was not a be-all and end-all and that the performance – both in terms of education and tennis – would be assessed and monitored on a constant basis.

According to Dr Sankar, while the School offers grades from first up to graduation levels, the education module will be tailor-made to suit each student. “(We will try to) complete the syllabus to the child’s ability,” explained Dr Sankar regarding the curriculum. “A child will not lose on completing the syllabus and can take the exams (at his comfort level).”

So, what is the end goal for this project? “The key factor (is) to get a lot of students to practice together. Make them push each other. (So, the) entire country can come together as a team,” summed up, Rohan Bopanna.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2XoMKsk