Pune:
Giving a fillip to doubles specialists Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa and V Diju in their bid to gain entry to the London Olympics later this year, four city-based entities have decided to support the three shuttlers.

Lakshya Institute, Avinash Bhosale Infrastructure Limited (ABIL), Shlok-Jairaj group and Panchashil have joined hands to support the trio, it was announced on Wednesday.

Jwala, a 13-time national women`s doubles champion, would be supported by ABIL. Shlok-Jairaj Group is to help Ponnappa while the Panchashil group has offered to support Diju, a media release said.

Jwala is ranked 13th in mixed doubles with Diju and 18th in women`s doubles with Ashwini. Jwala and Ashwini became the first Indian doubles pair to win a World Championship medal when the duo won the bronze last year in London.

“The probability of these players being selected for the London Olympics is very high with their current rank and achievements. We shall provide the three players with all the necessary facilities required to maintain their rankings and give their best shot for the country at the Olympics,” the release said.

“It is sponsorships such as these, I believe, (that) go a long way in contributing to the development of these young sports talent and also encourage them on the demanding path to the top. I personally love playing the game and that has fanned my interest to always do some more for the development of the game,” said Avinash Bhosale.

“Lakshya is a platform provided to young upcoming talented sportspersons from the society to do their best on the sports field without having to worry about other factors off it,” said its president Manish Jain.
PTI

source: http://www.ZeeNews.india.com / Wednesday,February 08th, 2012