If you’re a cricket fan, what would you give to own Sachin Tendulkar’s autographed cricket bat, Rahul Dravid’s ODI jersey or Yuvraj Singh’s signed Puma cap? Recently, the city’s sports enthusiasts were given an opportunity to bid for unique items belonging to their favourite sports stars at a charity auction organised by non-profit trust GoSports Foundation and sports memorabilia auctioneer Collectabillia.
As people raised their paddles in quick succession, every one of the 12 lots sold through the evening funded GoSports Foundation’s PACE Scholarship Programme for junior Olympic and Paralympic talent.
Speaking to City Express, managing trustee Nandan Kamath said, “This is the first time we are hosting such an event in Chennai. It is a great way of raising funds for the PACE Scholarships, which supports the financial requirements and developmental needs of athletes in the age group of 13 to 21 years. The programme currently supports 21 athletes from across the country, providing monetary support as well as non-monetary assistance in the form of access to empanelled experts across various areas of specialisation.”
He added that as our nation’s contingent returned from the Olympics with its richest-ever medal haul, the preparations for the next two Olympics have already begun. “Through this event, we provided sports lovers from Chennai a peek into the life of young high-performance athletes and an opportunity to actively support them while collecting unique memorabilia items of international sporting legends,” he said. The memorabilia included Adam Gilchrist’s red Puma shoes made famous during IPL V and a signed poster of the Little Master on reaching the 15,000 run mark. The other Indian connect that many bidders had their eye on were signed badminton racquets belonging to Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand, the only Indians to have won the prestigious All England Championships in 1980 and 2001 respectively.
There was also a Wilson tennis racquet and monogrammed cap autographed by Roger Federer. Football fanatics vied furiously for a Brazil jersey signed by Pele, and a 1986 World Cup poster signed by Diego Maradona.
From the younger lot, Christiano Ronaldo’s CR7 boot and Lionel Messi’s Barcelona jersey, both autographed, were up for grabs. All items were donated by the sporting greats as their contribution to the cause.
Sports commentator Charu Sharma was the auctioneer, conducting the evening with his typical charm and wit, as Chennai’s elite helped GoSports Foundation ensure that the proceeds of the auction and pledges raised will make many youngsters’ Olympic dreams a reality.
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