BENGALURU: Karnataka may seek the help of Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra, who trained in Ballari, and his coach Kashinath Naik, who hails from Karnataka, to train young, talented athletes from the state.
“We hope that Kashinath comes on board. If not as a regular coach, he can be part of the advisory team and train our athletes. Karnataka has all the facilities -- sports residential hostels, talent, equipment and more. What we lag is coaching and we are looking to fill that gap,” said Sports and Youth Service Minister Narayana Gowda.
Taking a cue from Haryana, the state government has asked athletes who represented India in international tournaments and working with various government and public sector companies to train young athletes
from Karnataka.
The Sports Department has called for applications from former athletes and coaches, who participated in the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and other international events.
Narayana Gowda said, “We want to make use of their experience. We have called for applications and they can work on deputation with the Karnataka government, either as full-time coaches or advisors.”
The last date for athletes and coaches to apply is January 30. Selected coaches will be paid, he added.
Aiming at one sport per district: Minister
Karnataka has studied the model from Haryana, which has been doing well in sports. Last year, India won 19 medals in Olympics and Paralympics, of which nine came from Haryana including the gold for Neeraj Chopra in javelin throw.
The minister explained that he wants one coach per district. “We are also aiming at one sport per district. Whoever is interested in a particular sport can go to that district, join our sports hostel and train,” he added.
Job reservation for sportspersons in all depts
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, in the state budget, is expected to announce job reservation for sportspeople in all government departments. At present, there is a 2 per cent reservation in the police department. Bommai is also expected to reserve 50 per cent of jobs for sports persons in the Sports Department.