BENGALURU: The Karnataka government has started the groundwork to encourage more sportspersons from the state to represent the country at international sports events, including the Olympics.
The department of youth empowerment & sports has identified 1,000 budding athletes who will be given proper training and financial aid so that they can be readied to represent India at the highest level.
There are a few athletes from Karnataka who have won medals at international sports events like Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and even Olympics. There are more than 30-35 sports in these events, including weightlifting, hockey, swimming, athletics, boxing, archery, etc. The department’s intention is to push the capacity of each athlete to his/her maximum. “We want athletes from Karnataka to represent India at international sports events. To begin with, we have identified 1,000 potential athletes this year,” N Shivashankara, commissioner, department of youth empowerment & sports told The Sunday Standard.
Earlier this year, the department had called for applications from various athletes in the age group of 12-21. “We received more than 2,500 applications from across the state, from which we shortlisted 1,000 based on their performances. We have identified 85 qualified coaches and another 30 will be added soon. We also have a medical practitioner and two nutritionists who will also help the budding athletes,” he said.
In Karnataka, there are 114 stadiums and 124 swimming pools that come under the department. Shivashankara said to help these budding athletes practice at a better place, existing stadiums and other places will be upgraded. They will also be given special financial support.
Athletes’ data will soon be just a click away
The department is developing a unique software to enter data of each athlete. “Any athlete can create
a login and get a unique number. They can keep updating their achievements. Athletes can
also upload their certificates. The software will have different categories like district, state,
national and international sports events.”