THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the opening of the Indoor Sports Facility at the Sports Hub here at Kariavattom, the facility, which also houses the Greenfield International Stadium, is expected to attract more international sports to the state capital in the coming months.
The multi-purpose indoor sports complex, inaugurated by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy the other day, has three basketball, three volleyball, 12 badminton and 20 table tennis courts, which make hosting of national and international events in those leagues a possibility.
State-of-the-art Complex
The complex is equipped with advanced floodlights, with illumination levels between 500 and 600 lumens, it makes live television broadcast most animated.
The facility is spread across an area of 58,000 sq ft, and along with the Greenfield International Stadium, which is the main attraction of the hub, it will help make Thiruvananthapuram a hub of international sporting activity. “The best thing about the complex is that it will not only be useful for the public, but a sports academy will also be functioning in the complex,” said Anilkumar Pandala, president of the Karyavattom Sports Facilities Limited that operates the stadium.
For running the academy, the KSFL has tied up with Tenvic Sports Academy, a company operated by former India cricketer Anil Kumble.
Privileged Access for Public
A three-tier membership for the club house will be issued for the public to make use of the facilities in the stadium including indoor sports complex, outdoor facilities and privileged access to events and corporate boxes.
The stadium operators said that they are in talks with Kerala Football Association regarding the use of the Greenfield Stadium for domestic events.
They also said the officials are trying to get the stadium certified by the BCCI in order to host national and international cricket matches at the venue in the near future.
Creating Talents
“This is one of the best sports infrastructure available in the country. But to create talents, professional coaching is needed. This can help kids in Kerala to take forward their sporting aspirations. We will move the kids up through various levels based on our curriculum,” said Ravi Kumar, representative of the Tenvic Sports.Coaching will be carried out in cricket, football, swimming, table tennis, squash, basketball, tennis and volleyball for children aged between 8 and 16 years at the Sports Hub, he said.
Beyond Gaming
The floor for the complex is made out of Canadian Maple wood. Special area for children in the pool, locker rooms and toilets have been arranged at the disabled-friendly facility. Another important feature of the complex will be the Olympic-size eight-lane swimming pool (50m x 25m) as well as a mini indoor four-lane pool (16m x 6m).
The authorities said that there will also be three tennis courts, two squash courts, gymnasium and facilities for aerobics and yoga at the facility constructed under a public-private partnership model.