CHENNAI: Athletes lamenting the lack of quality infrastructure in India is a common story. The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) is doing their bit to find a fix. The ICF is actively working on enhancing infrastructure facilities for athletes in the country.
Not long ago, they inaugurated a hockey ground and recently conducted an exhibition tournament — MP Murugesh hockey tournament. In May, they had inaugurated a floodlit cricket ground in Ayanavaram. And there’s more in the pipeline. A multi-purpose air-conditioned indoor stadium is slated to be inaugurated on October 6. The budget invested on the indoor stadium was approximately `5 crore. The indoor stadium has been totally funded by them.
Former champion swimmer Sebastian Xavier understands the importance of having good infrastructure. A senior sports officer with the ICF, the Olympian said: “In our country, infrastructure and athletes’ fitness are the two major issues when compared to other countries. We wanted to contribute to these athletes, so we planned to give better infrastructure to them.”
It has not been an easy journey for Xavier and the rest involved, who toiled for more than a decade to get their plans into fruition. “There have been a lot of planning and postponements all these years. Only after general manager Sudhanshu Mani took charge two years ago, things got better,” Xavier said.
The aforementioned hockey stadium has also been approved by the International Federation of Hockey (FIH), which means national level leagues can be held there. Xavier revealed that the ground was mostly funded by Railway Board (RSPB). “ICF GM approached Railway Board (RSPB) for funding. They agreed funding of 75 per cent and the rest 25 per cent was contributed by ICF. The hockey ground cost around `6 crore,” he said.
Interestingly, the ground is not only meant for the Railways athletes. “Our motto is to make ICF a sporting hub in Chennai. The hockey stadium has already been booked by a corporate organisation for a three-day tournament from October 3. Developing infrastructure is mainly to enhance the sporting culture.”
nithin.k@newindianexpress.com