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The Virat Kohli Foundation (VKF) joined hands with the RP-Sanjiv Goenka group in early September to announced the launch of scholarships for budding athletes, which would enable them to pursue a deeper career in the sport of their choice.
At the Indian Sports Honours 2017, Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli, who is also the brand ambassador of the ISH, came onto the stage and in the presence of some eminent sports stars and celebrities, and announced the list of the prospective talents who were due to receive the scholarships this year.
While the scholarships are aimed at encouraging talented players from grassroots levels, it also serves an opportunity for established players in the domestic scenario to push further and represent the nation in their sport. Their progress would be monitored by India's badminton coach Pulella Gopichand.
Who are the athletes?
Swastika Ghosh (Table Tennis): One of youngest benefactors from the scholarships has won many awards in the junior Table Tennis category and was part of the Indian team that won the South Asian Table Tennis Championships that was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Aadil Bedi (Golf): The 16-year old golfer has been consistently making small yet impressive strides in the sport, and has already taken part in major tournaments such as the World Junior Master Golf Championship in Las Vegas.
Aaryaman Tandon (Badminton): has impressed with his exploits in badminton while Shivani Kataria, who grabbed the spotlight in 2016 with her appearance in the Rio Olympics was thrilled at the prospect of being awarded the scholarship.
Apart from these youngsters, slightly more established players such as Sumit Nagal, who recently clinched the ATP Bengaluru Challenger Open Tennis tournament and India's No.1 singles female tennis player Karman Kaur Thandi also received the scholarship while Diya Dhayal, a talented archer completes the list of the awardees.
Following is the list of budding athletes who fall under the scholarship for 2017:
Sumit Nagal - Tennis
Karman Kaur Thandi - Tennis
Diya Dhayal - Archery
Shivani Kataria - Swimming
Swastika Ghosh - Table Tennis
Aadil Bedi - Golf
Aryamann Tandon - Badminton
