New Delhi: In a bid to create a robust sporting ecosystem in the country, the Sports Ministry will establish Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE) in eight states including Odisha in the first leg.
One KISCE will be identified in each state and union territory, under the ministry’s flagship, Khelo India Scheme, according to a Ministry release. The Kalinga Stadium at Bhubaneswar has been selected in Odisha for the purpose.
The process of selection of these sports facilities was started in October 2019, when each state and UT was asked to identify the best sports infrastructure, their agencies or any eligible agencies, which can be developed into world-class sporting facilities. Of the 15 proposals received, 8 were shortlisted on the basis of the training facilities available in priority sports, infrastructure and champions produced by the centre.
The Centre will extend a ‘Viability Gap Funding’ in sports science and technology support for sports disciplines practised at the centre and also bridge the gaps in requirement of sports equipment, expert coaches and high performance managers. The support will be extended to Olympic sports, though support can be extended in sports science and allied fields in other sporting disciplines being run at the centre.
The state will run the centre and will be responsible for all aspects of its management including, boarding, lodging and maintenance.
In a bid to broad-base talent identification, the states will also identify and develop talent in each sport for which funding is received at the centre. The Sports Authority of India will extend expertise, resources and a monitoring system to ensure that the level of performance of the athletes improve to international standards, the release stated.
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