Goverment to set up Hockey Academy at Dhyan Chand Stadium

The Sports Ministry on Saturday announced the setting up of a National Hockey Academy at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi

New Delhi: The Sports Ministry on Saturday announced the setting up of a National Hockey Academy at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi.

Sarbananda Sonowal

It was decided during the 46th meeting of the Governing Body at Sports Authority of India head office here. The meeting was chaired by Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

The National Hockey Academy will be managed by a High Performance Technical Director and High Performance Coaches along with scientific and technical support staff, a statement from the Sports Authority of India said. It will cater to 40 players each among boys and girls.

The National Hockey Academy will be supported by designated satellite centres which will include the SAI Regional Centres at Sonepat, Kolkata, Bangalore, Gandhinagar and Bhopal.

Other centres belonging to state governments or other entities will also be selected in traditional hockey playing state such as Jharkhand and Odisha.

While the National Hockey Academy will look at 16-18 year age group, the lower age groups will be looked after by the satellite centres and different sports hostels run by state governments as well as private academies.

Among other decisions, a partnership between SAI and Glenmark Aquatic Foundation (GAF), a Trust floated by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited was approved.

This marks the first partnership between SAI and a private corporate entity as the CSR partner. Under this arrangement, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has committed to invest about Rs 10 crore in running a talent identification and development programme for young swimmers over a period of five years.

The programme will be run at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Swimming Pool Complex (SPMSPC), Talkatora, here. A SAI National Swimming Academy(NSA) is already operating here since one year. Under the new arrangement, SAINSA and GAF will jointly run a new talent identification and development programme.

It is expected that this will act as a role model for several other National Sports Academies to be partnered between SAI and prospective CSR partners from both public and private sectors.

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