8 Khelo India State Centre of Excellence to get financial support of Rs 95.19 cr in 4 years

Sports Ministry has identified sports facilities in 8 states to be upgraded to Khelo India State Centre of Excellence. The identified facilities, to be upgraded with an effort to identify and groom Olympic level talent, will be upgraded at a cost of Rs 95.19 crores.

In the first leg, the 8 states that have been approved for setting up of KISCEs are Odisha, Mizoram, Telangana, Mpur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.

"The support will be in the form of infrastructure upgradation, setting up of sports science centre and also a soft component in the form of quality coaches and sports science human resources eg Physiotherapists, strength and conditioning expert. High quality equipment will also be provided to the players. The academy will also have a High performance Manager to ensure quality sports science input and performance management," read a release from Sports Ministry.

The Sports Ministry is upgrading existing sporting infrastructure in each state and UT, in partnership with the state and UT, and creating KISCEs with the aim to create a robust sporting ecosystem in the entire country. Each KISCE will be extended sports-specific support in 14 Olympic sport, of which one state or UT will be given support for a maximum of three sports.

Speaking about the decision to set up the KISCEs, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju said, "These Khelo India State Center of Excellence is yet another step towards building a robust sports ecosystem one one hand and India's pursuit of excellence in Olympics, on the other."

"These state-of-the-art centers will ensure that athletes proficient in a certain sport can be given the highest level of training and these centers become the best facilities in the country to train athletes in the priority sport for which they have been earmarked. I am confident this step will help to further India's effort of becoming one of the top 10 countries in the Olympics in 2028," he added.

The setting up of the KISCE will also help to broad-base talent identification since the states and UTs will also identify and develop talent in each sport for which funding is received. As a joint partnership, the Sports Authority of India will provide financial support in various avenues like sports science back-up, engagement of coaches and support staff, procurement of sports equipment, among other things.

"The state will be responsible for lodging, boarding, regular maintenance, infrastructure upgradation and overall management of the center. Wherever required, SAI will provide technical expertise and assistance, while putting in place a regular monitoring mechsm, to ensure that athletes are trained at par with international standards," the release further added.

Meanwhile, top sporting facilities have been identified in 6 more states and union territories - Assam, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya and Sikkim - which will be upgraded to Khelo India State Centre of Excellence. Currently, SAI is undertaking the "Viability Gap Analysis" to identify areas where upgradation and support is needed in each centre.

( With inputs from ANI )