Khelo India Centres to come up in erstwhile Khammam

Budding and professional archers in erstwhile Khammam district can now get better training facilities to sharpen their skills and excel in the sport.

Khammam: Budding and professional archers in erstwhile Khammam district can now get better training facilities to sharpen their skills and excel in the sport.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts by Telangana Archery Association treasurer Putta Shankaraiah, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has given its approval to set up Khelo India Centres (KICs) in Khammam and Kothagudem district headquarters to train archers.

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In Khammam the Khelo India Centre will be set up at Sardar Patel Stadium while in Kothagudem it will be set up at Sri Rama Archery Academy at Chunchupalli. Proposal for Khammam KIC was made in 2017 and for Kothagudem KIC in 2020 under Khelo India Scheme.

Informing that it may take some time for the centres to come up, Shankaraiah told Telangana Today that once the KICs are set up they will be beneficial for the archers in terms of better coaching and training facilities. The centres are being set up across the country with an aim to train and create athletes, who can win medals in the next Olympics, he noted.

He informed that the SAI has approved Khelo India Centres in 17 districts of Telangana each district 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.

There are around 200 archers in erstwhile Khammam district who played in nationals of whom over 30 have gold medals at state and national level archery meets. An archer Aniga Durgaiah of Kothagudem district is a national record holder and won gold medal in All India University Archery meet, Shankaraiah, who happens to be an archery coach, informed.

Karam Kanakaiah of Kothagudem district took part in World Archery Meet in 2010 and the archers of the district have been excelling at district, state and national level events, besides school, college and university level events, he noted.

Khammam District Youth and Sports Officer M Parandhama Reddy informed that at present archery training is available at Sardar Patel Stadium and setting up Khelo India Centre will augment the training facilities.

The KIC will be given Rs 5 lakh fund every year for five years to maintain a coach, procure professional material for training purposes. The scheme’s continuation is based on the results achieved and there will be an annual assessment of the KIC, he added.