By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Sports Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh said that the Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Meghalaya is set to establish Khelo India Centre of Excellence (KISCE) for Boxing, Athletics and Archery at the iconic JNS Sports Complex, Polo Ground, Shillong for 3 years, under one of the 12 verticals of the Khelo India – National Programme for Development of Sports Scheme.
In a statement issued here, he said that the Khelo India State Centres of Excellence is a small step towards building a robust sports ecosystem in the state and are being established across the country to strengthen India’s pursuit for excellence at the Olympics in the coming years.
The state-of-the-art centre in Shillong will ensure that athletes proficient in the three sports are given the highest level of training along with the best facilities in Meghalaya, he said.
Lyngdoh informed that on August 14, 2020, the Union Minister Kiren Rijiju informed him of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport’s plans to establish Khelo India State Centre of Excellence across India.
Lyngdoh then directed the officers of the Sports and Youth Affairs department to prepare the proposal and to forward it to the Ministry and he convened several meetings with the officers to ensure that the proposals were substantiated in a manner that would result in a positive response from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
After collating and compiling the necessary information the application was forwarded to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
On September 14, 2020, a Notification was issued by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India informing the state government that the Ministry had approved the proposal submitted by the department to establish Khelo India State Centre of Excellence.
To upgrade the existing JNS Sports Complex to the KISCE, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India will extend support to the Government of Meghalaya by supplying modern sports equipment, sports science technology equipment and material, world-class coaches, sports administrators, technical directors, high-performance managers, etc.
Under the joint partnership with the State Government, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) will provide technical expertise, assistance and supervision mechanism, whereas the operational management including identifying talent, boarding, lodging and maintenance would be managed by the Department.
Lyngdoh said that this initiative by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Government of Meghalaya will be spring-boarding the sports ecosystem, tap talent across the state, train into elite athletes for representing in various competitions and win laurels for the state.