National sports academies inaugurated in Kerala

Two national sports academies for athletics and golf were inaugurated here Monday by Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

The athletics academy will provide training for sub-juniors, juniors and seniors who get selected. This is the first sports academy to be established under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model with Jindal Steel Works (JSW).

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has already selected 20 children in the age group of 8-14 from various schools in Kerala as the first batch of golfers to be trained in the new academy.

Minister Sonowal also honoured eminent athletes at the inaugural ceremony.

Noted athletes Anju Bobby George, Robert Bobby George, Wilson Cheriyan, Shiny Wilson, Sriram Singh, Padmini Thomas, T.C. Yohannan, O.M. Nambiar, Beenamol, Subhash George, Uday K. Prabhu, Anil Kumar, Rupinder Singh, Ian Ladbrooke and Saji Thomas were present at the occasion.

A minute of silence was also observed in memory of the late Udayakumar, former captain of the national volleyball team, who died recently.