Sports Ministry to turn 8 facilities into Khelo India Centre of Excellence

The sports ministry has identified eight sports facilities, including the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar and four others in north-eastern states, to convert them into Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE).

In the first leg, the ministry has identified state-owned sports facilities in Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala, Telengana, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland.

The centres will be given a grant based on the actual amount finalised as per the requirement indicated after a comprehensive gap analysis study.

"The process of selection of these sports facilities was started in October 2019, when each state and UT was asked to identify the best sports infrastructure available with them, their agencies or any eligible agencies, which could be developed into a world-class sporting facilities," the ministry said in a release.

"Of the 15 proposals received and examined, 8 have been shortlisted based on the training facilities available in priority sports, infrastructure facilities and champion produced by the centre."

The support will be extended to Olympic sports.

The state and UT will run the centres and will be responsible for boarding, lodging and maintenance.