Catching up with the trends and future needs, an International Sports University is coming up in Pune. The university would be located at Balewadi, which houses the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex that had hosted both the National Games in 1994 and the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games and the second edition of Khelo India Youth Games in 2019.
The facilities at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex will be upgraded to function as a full-scale university. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government has brought in a bill for setting up of the International Sports University, which has been cleared in the recently-concluded two-day winter session of Maharashtra legislature.
The bill was drafted by a committee headed by former Vice-Chancellor of University of Mumbai Vijay Khole, one of the distinguished academicians. Among the various subjects that would be taught include sports sciences, sports medicine, sports technology, sports governing, sports management, sports media and communication, sports coaching and training.
Addressing a news conference, Sports Minister Sunil Kedar said that Rs 400 crore has been earmarked for the project. “The plan to start the university during the 2021-22 academic year,” Kedar said that sports are going to provide tremendous job opportunities in the times to come.
A total of 213 posts will be created of which 166 would be on a full-time basis and 47 on contract. Experts would also be invited from time to time. “All facilities will be on par with international standards so that players get quality training and inputs,” he said.
The Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex currently has multiple facilities including football, athletics, aquatic centre, badminton, basketball, boxing area, table tennis hall, tennis court, weightlifting hall, wrestling hall, velodrome, fitness centre, games village among others.
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