HYDERABAD: Bad news for thousands of children and youth in the city who have been eagerly waiting for summer sports coaching camps to reopen. This year, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will not hold its annual sports camps due to paucity of funds and the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic. The Corporation did not hold any camps last year as well.
Usually, between 1.50 lakh to 2 lakh sports enthusiasts take part in these camps. The Corporation offers training in 56 different sports across 2,000 centres for youths and children between the ages of six and 16. It has 521 playgrounds, seven swimming pools, 23 sports complexes, 10 roller skating rinks and five tennis courts.
Every year, the camps used to be run from the first week of April to the last week of May, and for which a Rs 25 lakh budget is earmarked for purchasing sports equipment.GHMC officials said that the preparation for the camps used to start in February itself, but as the Covid situation in the State was not improving, they had no other alternative but to cancel it this year.
This will hurt many young athletes as the camps were a godsend for them. International stars like PV Sindhu (badminton), Mukesh Kumar (hockey) and many Arjuna awardees first practised there.
Started by late L Venkatram Reddy in 1968, the summer camps became the most sought-after event for young boys and girls in the city. Some of them even went on represent the State and the country in various tournaments.