PANAJI (GOA): Things are finally falling in place for basketball lovers in India as well in Goa as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has issued an official letter granting affiliation to the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) with K. Govindraj as president and Chander Mukhi Sharma as secretary general in accordance with the directives of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and honouring rule 29 of the Olympic Charter.
The Goa Basketball Association (GBA) has already initiated the process of its affiliation to Goa Olympic Association (GOA), said the letter issued by the GBA to all the registered clubs/institutions in Goa.
The letter issued by GBA further stated that, the recent development will pave way to regularise a lot of issues with the development of basketball in Goa and its tie-ups with different state bodies such as the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) and the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs (DSYA).
“The growing interest for the game in the state is a good sign. While IOA affiliation is a big boost, and will put a lot of misunderstandings to rest. The challenge is to bring Basketball to a new level,” said Fr. Ralin De Souza, president of Goa Basketball Association.