subject: Sportitude: An Academy to nurture sports talent of the nation [print this page] Sportitude: An Academy to nurture sports talent of the nation
New Delhi DMA Newsdesk): Faced with perennial underachievement, inadequate backing and a general indifference towards nurturing sports talent, India has long been unable to secure a berth in the medal tally in international sports events. Realizing that champions aren't going to show up in a hurry on the Indian sports horizon, IRPPL is setting up a Sports academy to help the country find a place in the sporting sun.
The academy to be set up in the name of "Sportitude" at Noida, will not only recognize, foster, engage and enhance the sports talents in India even polish the elusive diamonds (sportsperson) to help them perform better.
"In India nobody is ready to take up sports as a career option because of poor infrastructure and inability to match high international standards. The idea behind setting up this academy cum recreational club was to give NCR a world class sports destination which is a home for all the high end sport. Sportitude as the name suggests would be a perfect combination of Sports and attitude," Amandeep Johl Director of Sportitude said in an interview to DMA Newsdesk.
Amandeep said until and unless we provide the sports aspirants within this country world class training and amenities we cannot produce champions. We are not able to do well even in hockey, our national game of the country due to lack of discipline, sponsorship. The infighting within the federation is not only affecting the morale of the team but also making them loose out to other nations cheaply. Sponsors are not ready to come forward and support other games apart from cricket. Cricket is like a religion in the country and our cricketer's demi-gods who are worshipped in every home. But rest all other sports are dying away due to lack of sponsorship and patronage. We have even stopped producing tennis stars. We need to reverse this trend and ensure that we harness the rich talent pool that exists in our country at grass root level and polish these gems who are champions of tomorrow.
"The children are today either glued to television, or seen loitering in malls as they don't have any worthwhile thing to do. Even parents find it difficult to channelise their energy. This is where academies like Sportitude come into picture. We would not only train children for specific sports like, tennis, golf and shooting we would also offer their parents a place where they can unwind after a hectic day at office. The whole idea behind setting up this place is to provide a family a space where the entire family can channelise their energy in a healthy manner and also beat their stress away Tennis, Badminton, golf, squash and Horse Riding would be some of the sports that the children would be trained for. He said next on the agenda is setting up a cricket academy
Asked why they chose Noida for running their academy, he said the academy would be spread over an area of 15,000 to 20,000 sq ft. It would be located across sector 18, the commercial hub of Noida. Further the proximity to South Delhi through DND flyover and other multiple entry points to Noida from Delhi make this property a hot option. For setting up driving range, tennis, badminton and squash courts huge area was required and this place is just ideal for such ventures. A-class facilities like lounge, spa and food court would also be there for providing comforting and relaxing atmosphere to our patrons.
He said the total cost involved in setting up this academy is over Rs 16-17 crore and it would take nearly two years for the academy to become operational. He said work is on at the driving range and tennis court. The former would become operation likely by July and the tennis courts should be ready latest by October.
We have been successful in roping in internationally acclaimed sports personality to train the children. Leander Paes has consented to head the tennis academy and Priya Vohra, the woman behind setting up various horse riding academies in Delhi has also given her nod. Talks are on with other leading sportsperson and they are likely to give their consent for the project of this magnitude, he said.
On whether he was facing any hurdles in going ahead with this ambitious project, he said "since the project is a joint venture of Unitech and International Amusement Ltd we need to take consent from both the managements which delays and derails the timely completion of the project. These are procedural delays and we are likely to overcome these small problems and see our dream turn into reality soon."
He said the look of the entire place is being designed by Rishi Narain of Holy Age Architect, who is himself an Asian Game gold winner. Floodlighting is being done by Kapil Dev's company. The project is going to be of high international repute and standard. We are leaving no stone unturned to achieve this goal.
"This academy would be a gift to the people of Noida and NCR, where people from middle class families would be able to spend their time fruitfully," he said adding that the academy would be formally invited by ace tennis player Leander Paes in March, 2011 .
