Orissa take lead for promotion of rackedlon in India

Racketlon Federation of India (RFI) is aiming to set up the country`s first racketlon academy in Orissa in the next five to seven years. ``After hosting the first national championship earlier this year in Maharashtra, RFI`s next step is to find infrastructure facilities where all four sports (tennis, table tennis, badminton and squash) can be played. The long-term plan aims at building the country`s first racketlon academy, preferably in Orissa. However, the most difficult thing will be to find sponsors to build squash boxes,`` RFI executive president Manoranjan Mishra said today after returning from a 10-day trip to Europe (May 21 to 31).

``A short-term action for RFI is to establish of an Asian Racketlon Federation by helping registration of possible new federations in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka. International Racketlon Federation (FIR) promised organisational and financial assistance for realisation of both short and long term goals,`` added Mishra, who participated in the International World Tour Event Vienna Classics and 24 Autohofe Champions Leauge (21-23 May), as well as the FIR seminar for country representatives during his Europe trip.