Fillip to sports in erstwhile Warangal: four training centres to come up under Khelo India

The ‘Khelo India’ programme was introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country.

Warangal: To encourage sporting talent among the youth from rural areas and towns, Sports Authority of India (SAI), an autonomous organisation under the administrative control of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, has sanctioned four training centres under the ‘Khelo India’ scheme in erstwhile Warangal district. The ‘Khelo India’ programme was introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country.

Thanks to the efforts of the Telangana government, the SAI has given its approval to set up Khelo India Centres (KICs) to train budding sportspersons in Kho-Kho, Judo, boxing and cycling. While the Kho-Kho centre will be set up at Kesamudram in Mahabubabad district, judo centre will come up at O city in Warangal and boxing coaching centre in Hanamkonda. The SAI has sanctioned the cycling centre to the Mulugu district.

Speaking to ‘Telangana Today’, Hanamkonda District Youth Sports Officer (DYSO) Gugulothu Ashok Kumar said senior national boxing player Prabhu had been appointed as the coach and incharge of the boxing training centre in Hanamkonda.

“I have already got some equipment available for the boxing players near the JNS grounds in Hanamkonda,” he said, adding that Rs five lakh would be released per year for five years under the Khelo India scheme. “It is a boon for the budding boxing players. The centre will probably be set up in Hanamkonda in a month. The centres are being set up across the country with an aim to train and create athletes to help them win medals in the next Olympics, he said.

The SAI approved KICs in 17 districts of Telangana with a specific sports discipline. The scheme has funds provision for material and coach, prescribed to have equal ratio of male and female trainees with past champions as coach/mentor. Since the scheme’s continuation is based on the results achieved through an annual assessment of the KIC, the SAI is likely to withdraw the centres at any time after a year, according to the officials.

Meanwhile, Mahabubabad DYSO Anil Kumar said that they had sent proposals for setting up hockey and Kho-Kho centres at Kesamudram, and a hockey centre in Mahabubabad, the SAI approved one centre for Kho-Kho at Kesamudram. “The Kho-Kho centre will be set up at Zilla Parishad High School in Kesamudram mandal centre,” he added.

“Setting up the Kho-Kho training centre will be very useful for the players as there were no coaching facilities in this area,” said senior national Kho-Kho Aktar Pasha from Mahabubabad.