NEW DELHI: Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) has sent six athletes to represent Team India at the World Youth Championship being held in Voronezh, Russia from August 21-31.
This is the biggest representation of athletes from TSAF Sports Climbing Academy who will take part in the annual championship.
The 10-member Indian contingent, including three organisers, are competinge in three different disciplines: Lead, Speed, and Bouldering across two age group categories – Youth A (16-18 years old) and Youth B (14-16 years old).
Tata Steel is financially supporting Team India and had also supported Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) in conducting trials to select the team earlier in July 2021 by hosting all participating athletes and officials in Jamshedpur at TSAF Sport Climbing Training centre.
Chanakya Chaudhary, chairman, Tata Steel Adventure Foundation and vice president, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, said: “This is a historic moment for Tata Steel and Tata Steel Adventure Foundation. We are delighted to see young girls and boys trained at TSAF represent India in such large numbers in an international event like the World Youth Championship being held in Russia this year. Tata Steel family wishes the Indian team and all participating athletes from around the world the very best.
“TSAF, over the years, has evolved into an institution and is an integral part of Tata Steel’s long-term commitment to supporting sports in India. India’s first residential Sport Climbing Academy set up by TSAF in July 2021 will surely provide fillip to Sport Climbing in India. The foundation will continue to promote the cause of adventure sports and create an enabling ecosystem for the promising talent.”
Team India was flagged off by ace Indian mountaineer and TSAF’s founder director Ms Bachendri Pal. She had led the 1993 Indo-Nepalese Women’s Everest Expedition comprising 21 members and was the first International all-women expedition to successfully scale the summit of Mt. Everest in its very first attempt.
Hemant Gupta, head, TSAF, said: “The World Youth Championship being held in Voronezh will provide an invaluable opportunity for the Indian team as they will be competing with the best from around the world. Our ultimate goal is Olympics and this competition will help us to evaluate our current performance and plan a way forward. Our climbers are excited and raring to give their best performance.”
