Sports Ministry approves upgrade of six facilities across India to Centres of Excellence in preparation for future Olympic Games

New Delhi: In an effort to groom talent for future Olympic Games, the Sports Ministry on Saturday approved the upgradation of six facilities in the country to Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE) and sanctioned Rs 67.32 crore as financial support for four years. The six centres are States Sports Academy, Sarusajai, Guwahati (Rs 7.96 crore), J N S Complex, Shillong (Rs 8.39 crore), Paljor Stadium, Gangtok (Rs 7.91 crore), New Sports Complex, Silvassa (Rs 8.05 crore), Madhya Pradesh State Academy (Rs 19 crore), Shree Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi in Pune (Rs 16 crore). The consolidated budget estimate of Rs 67.32 crore is for financial year 2020-21 and subsequent four years. Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said creating centres of sporting excellence across the country was a step towards realising the government’s vision of making India one of the top 10 medal-winning countries in 2028 Olympics. “Each of these centres will provide world-class training in a specific sporting discipline and will become the main facility in the country where elite athletes of that sport will train. “I am happy that each state has supported this initiative of the centre with great positivity and enthusiasm,” he said. The support to the centres will be in the form of infrastructure upgradation, setting up of sports science facilities and provision of quality coaches and sports science human resources like physiotherapists, and strength and conditioning experts. The ministry said it is upgrading existing sporting infrastructure in each state and union territory and establishing KISCEs with the aim of creating a robust sporting ecosystem in the entire country. Each KISCE will be given sports-specific support in 14 Olympic events, out of which one state or UT will be given support for a maximum of three sports, the ministry said in a release.