Big Bonanza: City to have 3 govt badminton centres !

Nagpur, June 5

It is a fact that due to lack of proper training facilities number of talented city shuttler including Malvika Bansod and Ritika Thaker have forced to go to other cities for advanced training. But in coming days this thing will become a past as three government training centres will come up in the city.

It may be mentioned here that the state government has already sanctioned badminton Krida Prabodhini at Divisional Sports Complex. Then under Khelo India project, the RTM Nagpur University got a badminton training centre along with athletics, swimming, handball and Basketball.

Recently the Central Government announced the 36 Khelo India training centres in Maharashtra and out of it Nagpur district will get one badminton centre.

Although some government officials and experts in the badminton field have expressed over their apprehensions over three centres, majority of people associated with badminton have welcomed the move.

The Krida Prabodhni centre will start at Divisional Complex soon. Talking to Lokmat Times DSO and Krida Prabodhini principal Dr Avinash Pund said, “ We have completed the selection process and have selected 14 boys and ten girls. Experienced coach Ajay Dayal who has vast experience has been appointed as the coach. The training of selected shuttlers will start soon as the lockdown will be lifted from Monday”, said Pund.

About university's centre director of Department of Sports and Physical Education of RTM Nagpur University informed that their centre is attached with SAI's regional centre. “ We have already completed the selection process of all five games. Our list of badminton players including 15 boys and equal number of girls is also ready and we have also appointed national-level player as the coach. Once we get the approval to the list from the SAI authorities we will start the training at Subhedar Hall”, he said.

Nagpur will get second Khelo India badminton centre at the Divisional Sports Complex. Maharashtra Sports Minister Sunil Kedar had demanded KIC in every district of the State and met union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi in this regard. The central government has awarded one centre to Nagpur district and also sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for recurring expenditure and Rs 5 lakh for non-recurring expenditure.DSO Pund said, “ We have yet to receive guidelines from the central government . The funds of five lakh will be spent on coaching, equipment and tournaments”, he said.

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Great development: Kashikar

The secretary of Nagpur District Badminton Association (NDBA) Mangesh Kashikar has welcomed both central as well as state government's move of awarding three centres to Nagpur. “ This is a great development. Earlier our shuttlers were deprived of facilities but now they will have now multiple options for training”.