IFSG unveils 'Stars of Tomorrow' initiative, to back 13

The Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) Wednesday launched its athlete support programme 'Stars of Tomorrow' in presence of legendary boxer Mary Kom and veteran cricket administrator Prof Ratnakar Shetty.

The programme has been created with an aim to identify and support the countrys future sporting talent in non- mainstream sports like sailing, squash, tennis, swimming and golf, it was announced.

Thirteen athletes have been selected under the programme out of a total of 168 entries.

A sum of Rs 3 crore has been pledged towards the programme by Dream 11 Foundation, philanthropic arm of Dream 11, which is the official fantasy game partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The athletes selected under the programme: Viraj Madappa (from Kolkata, golf), Pranavi Urs (from Mysuru, golf), Nethra Kumanan (from Chennai, sailing), Jaivir Dhillon (from New Delhi, squash), Ananya Dabke (from Thane, squash), Utkarsh Baheti (from Jaipur, squash), Yash Fadte (from Goa, squash), Advait Page (from Indore, swimming), Khushi Dinesh (from Bengaluru, swimming), Suvana Baskar (from Bengaluru, Swimming) and Aryan Goveas (from Mumbai, tennis), Pranjala Yadlapalli (from Hyderabad, tennis) and Siddhant Banthia (from Pune, tennis).