Hockey captain Manpreet Singh lauds construction of modern gymnasium in NSSC Bengaluru

Khel Today Repoter

Bengaluru : Indian hockey captain Manpreet Singh had lauded the new gymnasium which was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Kiren Rijiju in the Sports Authority of India Netaji Subhas Southern Centre here today.

The modern gymnasium complex will address the needs specifically of the national hockey campers in SAI NSSC. Shri Rijiju also laid the foundation stone for a synthetic athletics track, a 330-bed women’s hostel as well an upgraded dining hall and kitchen. These are further steps towards the development of high-class sports infrastructure and will cost Rs. 50 crore.

Manpreet Singh spoke for the hockey fraternity when he said this new gymnasium would help the entire team train with a range of new world class equipment. “Some of the equipment is especially beneficial for strengthening the lower body. This is a great addition for the team just before the Olympics,” he said.

The new Gymnasium complex has anti-skid rubber flooring and a variety of strength and conditioning equipment. It will also have physiotherapy-cum-massage room as well asa separate changing areas for the men and women’s teams. The project has been completed at a cost of Rs. 4.41 crore.

The eight-lane 400m track with two additional straight lanes. It is an IAAF certified track for Class 1, Category 5. Beside this, the project includes 500m clay track and a 100m sand track for high performance training. The project is due to be completed by the end of 2022 and at a cost of Rs. 13.86 crores under the Khelo India budget.

The girls hostel coming up is a Grounds +5 facility with 110 rooms with attached bathrooms with a total built up area of 7,170 square kms. The project is due to be completed by the end of March 2022 at a cost of Rs. 29.46 crores under both National Sports Development Fund and Khelo India budget.

The upgradation of the kitchen and dining hall will see the already existing infrastructure upgraded whereby the kitchen will provide 1500 meals per session. The project is due to be completed by March 2022 at a cost of Rs. 2.3 crores under the Khelo India budget.

Shri Rjiju was joined by Shri KC Narayana Gowda, Minister of State, Youth Empowerment and Sports, Government of Karnataka. Also present were Regional Director, SAI Bengaluru Captain Ajay Bahl , 23-time World Billiards and Snooker champion and Padma Bhushan awardee Pankaj Advani and Shri KP Mahadevswamy, CEO, HSCL the project managers and consultants.

Leading athletes, including those who have qualified for the Olympics, like Rakshita Raju, KT Irfan, Avinash Sable, Sandeep Kumar, Priyanka Goswami, Bhavna Jat, Sonal Sukhwal as well as coaches Gurmeet Singh and Captain Amrish Kumar, were feliciated at the event.