BENGALURU : For a year, sports activities have been restricted, depriving athletes of their regular practice and opportunities. For the first time in a year, since COVID-19 spread in the state, the Karnataka government has decided to support sportspersons in terms of health, nutrition and practices to help them stay mentally and physically fit.
A shot in the arm for them, the state Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports and Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) in Bengaluru have entered into an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) where health experts from RGUHS will guide talented sportspersons, said Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar.
The Department has designed a programme to provide quality health care to resident sportspersons in 34 sports hostels in the state. This will help talented sportspersons from rural areas who are undergoing training in sports hostels. It will create awareness among these persons regarding diet, nutrition, health, sports medicine and fitness.
“RGUHS is known for its research in various fields, including sports medicine. The experts from this university will guide the sportspersons. Daily medical check-up, information regarding injury treatment methods, balanced diet and practices to be followed to keep them mentally and physically fit, will be taught to them. Sports hostels can seek the help of various expert doctors in medical colleges in their respective districts,” Sudhakar said. Vice-chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Dr S Sacchidanand said that a meeting will be convened by May 1 to discuss attaching of one government medical college and hospital, with the respective sports hostels of each district.
“In districts where there is no government medical college and hospital, a private medical college and hospital will be attached to the sports hostel. We will take care of their sports injuries and give nutritional advice, free of cost,” he explained. The minister said that we need to question ourselves, as to how many medals we are winning in Olympics in a country like India with a population over 130 crore.
“There is no dearth of talent in our country, but proper guidance is the need of the hour. The sports department is putting efforts to introduce new concepts and RGUHS will assist them in this task. Residents of 34 sports hostels should get maximum benefit out of it. This will yield better results and earn good fame for the country,” Sudhakar added.
Kruthik Krishna, who graduated out of the under-19 cricket format believes that this collaboration will help many sportspersons from economically-backward families. “I feel this will encourage sports enthusiasts from tier-2 and tier-3 cities who are not financially stable to avail medical treatment at ease. This will definitely boost their confidence and will give them no second thoughts in shifting to sports hostels anywhere in the state,” says Krishna.
Meanwhile, Elvis Joseph, founder of Bangalore Sports School foundation, says, “The proposal seems good. But we need to see how far will this be implemented. I think this facility should be extended to all sportspersons across the state and not just the ones living in the sports hostel.”