Sports Ministry opens cycling academy

'Boxers will get all govt facilities'

Sports Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday inaugurated the National Cycling Academy at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex and launched a project to create swimming pools at three separate stadia in the capital.

At an estimated cost of Rs 907.50 lakhs, the project of creating swimming pools will come up at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JNS), Indira Gandhi Sports Complex (IGSC) and Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range.

On the occasion, Singh also launched a Community Connect Scheme to include sports and recreational facilities in JNS, IGSC and the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Swimming Complex. The Sports Authority of India’s National Cycling Academy (SAI NCA), with complete back-up facilities, has been set up following the decision taken in a meeting of the governing body of SAI.

The Academy will be financed by the government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports through SAI with a long-term perspective of making it a top notch academy, which is financially independent and a self-sustaining venture.

“The Academy will cater to the identification and nurturing of young talent at both sub-junior and junior levels and the training of elite athletes in the run up to their preparations for international and national competitions,” Singh said.

“The academy is supported by a proper gymnasium and the latest technical support like a fully-equipped workshop for cycles. The coaches will be recruited from both India and abroad for the Academy,” he added.

Since Cycling Federation of India, an affiliate of the International Cycling Federation, is a major stakeholder in the cycling discipline, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be entered into, seeking their support and giving them conducive environment.

In the second phase, SAI will also approach the World Cycling Centre of UCI at Aigle, Switzerland, to make their coaches available from time to time to guide in the training techniques and finally convert the academy into a satellite centre of the UCI World Cycling Centre.

Meanwhile, Jitendra assured the boxers that their training would not suffer and would be provided with all the required facilities.

“All training facilities will be given to the athletes. We will make sure that the athletes don’t get affected as long IBF is excluded from AIBA,” said Jitendra.