Chandigarh promotes athletic talent, facilities in a big way

CHANDIGARH - The sports department here is determined to churn out more Abhinav Bindras and Kapil Devs by establishing the best possible sports infrastructure and facilities. From a ten-lane athletic track to its first outdoor synthetic-surface basketball court, the administration is determined to help its emerging athletes compete at an international level.

“We are working on a two-pronged strategy to raise the standard of sports in Chandigarh. On one side we are promoting budding talent and drawing them to the field of sports and on the other we are providing world-class infrastructure to hone their skills,” said sports secretary Sanjay Kumar here Tuesday.

He added: “We are doing our best to bring Chandigarh on the international sports map by arranging cutting-edge training so that our players can compete with the rest of the world.”

As part of its strategy, the administration is enticing players to enter the field of sports by offering them scholarships and cash rewards which will help them get priority while applying for admission to professional institutions and government jobs.

This city has produced many renowned sportsmen including legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, one-day team vice captain Yuvraj Singh and golfing genius Jeev Milkha Singh. Abhinav Bindra, India’s only Olympics gold medal winner in the individual category is also a Chandigarh prodigy.

Other national and international stars from here include Irina Brar and Parineeta Grewal (golf) and Sandeep Singh and Rajpal Singh (hockey).

The Chandigarh administration has also conceived various plans and projects to provide unmatched facilities for the young players.

JPS Sidhu, joint director of sports, said: “The efforts made by the administration have started paying dividends. The crop of players that Chandigarh has produced stands a very good chance of excelling in both national and international tournaments.”

Chandigarh got a global standard indoor basketball court in February this year which was built at a cost of Rs.18 million (Rs.1.8 crore).

The administration has allotted 42 acres of land to the sports department in Sector 39 for the construction of a state-of-the-art ten-lane athletic track and an international level football stadium.

“Modalities have been worked out and the work has been assigned to the architectural department for designing the stadium. The stadium will cost Rs.6 crore (Rs.60 million) and it can easily accommodate around 40,000 spectators. Another Rs.3 crore (Rs.3 million) will be spent on laying the synthetic athletic track,” stated Sidhu.

In addition, the Chandigarh sports department has plans to have its first outdoor basketball synthetic court at a cost of Rs.6.3 million (Rs.63 lakh), he pointed out.

Sidhu added: “We have got the approval to build a sand-filled football field at the Sports Complex in Sector 42 — again the first of its kind in the country. It would be an all-weather field where matches could also be held during the rainy season. It will cost Rs.3 crore (Rs.30 million).”