the goan I network
PANAJI
In a major boost for Goa’s squash starlet Yash Fadte, Vimson (Shivanand Salgaocar Group) has signed up the Indian junior star under its sponsorship programme.
Yash, who became India’s U-19 junior national champion last week, has been among the top players in the country and has consistently won honours since taking up the sport a decade ago. The 17-year-old Vasco lad has won the US Junior Open in the past; at 15 was the youngest member of the Indian squad for the World Cup in New Zealand, picked up silver medals at the Asian Junior Squash Championship and won the Indian Junior Open a record four times.
Yash’s biggest aim, though, is to become a world champion, and with guaranteed support from Vimson, he will now have the time and energy to solely focus on his game, the group said in a press statement on Thursday.
“The sponsorship comes at the right time for me. All these years, my father (Dilip Fadte) has ensured that I do not suffer in anyway for lack of funds. But, at a time when the State government has turned a blind eye to my achievements, it’s gratifying to see Sir Shivanand Salgaocar provide solid backing,” said Yash.
Salgaocar’s have run a successful football club for more than 60 years and has also had champion cricket teams in the past. However, this is the first time that the company will support an individual sportsperson.
“At the Vimson Group, we have a long-standing tradition of supporting local talent to enable Goan athletes to perform on the global stage. Yash has won several laurels at a national and international level and we are proud to support his journey to becoming a world class squash champion,” said Shivanand Salgaocar, the chairman of the group. Yash will leave for England next week for a month-long training stint as he prepares for the British Junior Open and US Junior Open later this year.
