Five sports academies to be set up in Mizoram
Aizawl: Mizoram Sports Minister Robert Romawia Royte on Tuesday said that five sports academies will be set up in different parts of the state. Addressing a general body meeting of Mizoram State Sports Council, Royte said all the required official procedure for setting up of the five sports schools in the state and a district sports complex at Mamit town have been completed and constructions will commence soon. He said that the central government has released the first installment of the funds for the purpose. “Looking at Mizoram’s tally in the last Khelo India, there is a lot to be done in order to reach national and international level,” said Royte who is also the owner of I-League side Aizawl FC. Lauding the central government for including Mizoram among eight states where Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE) will be set up, the sports minister said that efforts are on to materialise the project. Last month, the central government announced that the Aizawl Sports Academy at Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex at Mualpui has been included among eight facilities in the country to be developed as KISCE. Royte informed the meeting that the state government is planning to set up sports infrastructure through Externally Aided Projects (EAP). He said the state government has recently granted industry status to sports, which will help develop infrastructure. (PTI)
Copa Libertadores to restart in Sept
Sao Paulo: The Copa Libertadores will restart on Sept. 15 after being suspended for almost six months due to the coronavirus pandemic. CONMEBOL announced on Monday dates for the four remaining rounds of the group stage, which is scheduled to end on Oct. 22. The 16 group matches of the third round are expected to be played entirely in empty stadia. Fans will be allowed in stadia only where local health authorities agree. Dates for the knockout matches are still to be decided. CONMEBOL halted South American club tournaments in March and initially expected to resume in May. But since then the outbreak in the region has worsened, especially in Brazil, Ecuador and Chile. Others, such as Argentina and Peru, are beginning to surge in cases and deaths. The first match of the restart will be a Group C clash between Bolivia’s Jorge Wilstermann and Brazil’s Athlético. (AP)