Basketball: Charity Cup-Former jumps specialist Beauchamp to receive R7,270 from the SBF |28 March 2005

The money was raised through the sale of tickets for the Charity matches organised by the SBF on Sunday March 6.

According to Jean-Guy Alphonse, the treasurer of the local basketball federation, the executive committee members met on March 18 and agreed to give all proceeds to former athlete Danny Beauchamp.

Beauchamp once considered as the long jump king of the Indian Ocean has not been able to walk since the accident on July 4, 2004. The double Indian Ocean Islands Games (IOIG) long jump gold medallist in Seychelles (in 1993) and in Reunion (in 1998) is  back in the country after spending a month at the Miot Hospital in India for an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) for paraplegia.

Beauchamp, 35, left the country on Monday February 21 and returned on Tuesday March 22.
Paraplegia is described as severe or complete loss of motor function in the lower extremities and lower portions of the trunk.

Father of two boys, Beauchamp spent two months at the D’Offay Ward at Victoria Hospital before being transferred to the North East Point Hospital. As part of his therapy Beauchamp has to do physotherapy  sessions twice daily.

A former Sportsman of the Year, Beauchamp still holds the long jump record of 7.86 metres set in Mauritius on June 28, 1992 during the African Athletics Championship to win the bronze medal. His personal best in high jump is 2.13 metres.

Meanwhile, the National Sports Council has pledged its support to Beauchamp and is to give the former athlete a montly alloawance but the sum is yet to be decided upon.

Last year, R7,280 was raised from three basketball Charity matches and all profits went to cancer patient Lucina Ramkalawan who has since died.

This year's Charity matches saw PLS Hawks defeat Premium Cobras 89-86 after extra-time, Bel Air thrash Anse Etoile Stars 76-39 and SMB Razorback beat Cascade Bullets 66-57.

C. J.