Sport - Sports : General

LNCPE’s big offer to sportspersons

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Inaugurated a little over 21 years ago with the aim of providing quality academic support to potential physical education teachers from across the country, the Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE), Kariyavattom, is now all set to tread a different path: that of offering its state-of-the-art training facilities to competitive sportspersons in a big way.

Revealing the plans, the LNCPE principal, S.S. Hasrani, during an exclusive chat with The Hindu on Wednesday, said the ultimate aim of this unique institution was to build a bridge between physical education and competitive sports so as to help the country gain due recognition in the international sporting arena.

“But as we attempt to do so, we won’t compromise in any way on the basic aim with which the college was primarily established.”

Citing the addition of the swimming pool with all modern amenities as a bonus for the LNCPE’s plan for the future, Mr. Hasrani said the laying of the synthetic track with provisions for hill running would be completed early next year. This, he said, would help the LNCPE conduct National coaching camps in athletics especially when North India experiences winter. The facilities will be formally inaugurated by the Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Mani Shankar Aiyar on Saturday.

Administrative sanction has already been given by the Sports Authority of India to build two more hostels on the LNCPE campus. Once completed, the project would help LNCPE provide accommodation to 200 more athletes. Likewise, two more indoor halls providing facilities for training in badminton, basketball, handball, squash and volleyball and a shooting range would also be constructed soon. “This would help us in our efforts to turn our institution into a full-fledged training centre for top sportspersons in all these disciplines,” he said.

Already, the LNCPE is a recognised centre for excellence in athletics, cycling and volleyball, besides boasting of a sports training centre in taekwondo and day-boarding coaching facilities in gymnastics and kabaddi.

And the excellent results achieved by the trainees in these disciplines prompted the LNCPE to venture into constructing newer facilities for disciplines like badminton, basketball, handball, shooting and squash.

At the next stage, the LNCPE would be seeking to establish a full-fledged sports science laboratory and a football academy besides laying an astro-turf for hockey. “We are planning to have a detailed proposal ready for all these projects and discuss the matter with the SAI Director General, Ratan P. Wattal, when he arrives here on Saturday. These projects are quite essential if LNCPE is to be recognised as a centre of excellence in competitive sports.”

The LNCPE Principal said these new projects would materialise only if the Government ordered the release of 15 more acres of land by the Kerala University. “We have already written to the State Government with regard to our requirement and the initial response has been encouraging. We hope that a positive decision would be taken soon,” he said.

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