Tamil Nadu: Jayalalithaa gives push to sports infrastructure

She gives emphasis on the science based higher level of training in sports.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Friday, announced schemes aimed at giving a boost to sports infrastructure in the state, which includes a centre for high altitude training and a sports science academy.

"So as to enhance the capabilities of our sports men and women, a High Altitude Training Centre will be set up at Udhagamandalam (Ooty) at a cost of Rs five crore," Jayalalithaa said in a suo moto statement in the state assembly.

In an effort to encourage NCC students, she said the NCC Training Academy, being set up in Madurai, would have driving simulator, flight simulator and weapon simulator.

"This will give students an opportunity to get a real-feel in training and I am happy to announce that such a training will be introduced in Tamil Nadu for the first time in India," she said amid thumping of desks.

The NCC Centre would also have a language research lab and all the facilities would come up at a cost of Rs one crore, she said.

Underscoring the importance of science based higher level of training in sports, she said a Sport Science Centre, comprising facilities for anti-doping, sports medicine, sports physiology, psychology, bio-mechanics, nutrition and rehabilitation would be set up.

The Centre would come up at Madurai at a cost of Rs five crore, she said.

The Vellore based special development centre for weight lifting run by the State Sports Development Authority would be upgraded as a Centre of Excellence at a cost of Rs.2.45 crore.

"Satish Kumar Sivalingam who won Gold (weighlifting) in the Commomwealth Games held at Glasgow in 2014 got training in the Vellore Centre," she said.

Vellore is renowned for its availability of talent in weightlifting and over a 1000 recipients of national and international awards in the past three decades are from this northern town of Tamil Nadu.