Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday that the state government is trying to host the National Games either in 2025 or 2027.
“We have already written a letter to the Indian Olympic Association to allot 2025 National Games or 2027 National Games, so that we can host the National Games magnificently. Simultaneously we are also improving our sports infrastructure. So let us see how things develop,” Sarma said at Amingaon, North Guwahati during the inauguration of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) National Centre of Excellence.
The Assam Chief Minister, who is also the President of the BAI, inaugurated the state-of-the-art National Centre of Excellence for Badminton at Amingaon in Guwahati.
The MoU was signed between BAI and the Government of Assam, unfolding a historic chapter for India sports during the launch event, as per BAI Media.
The grand inauguration ceremony was attended by Sarma, Olympics champion badminton legend Taufik Hidayat, chief coach of Indian team Pullela Gopichand, members of the historic Thomas Cup-winning Indian team, Minister of Sports and Youth Welfare, Assam, Nandita Gorlosa, Dalipkumar Seth, President, Sunrise Group of Companies, Vivek Dewangan, CMD, REC and Vikram Dhar, Managing Director, Sunrise Sports (India) along with key BAI officials.
The National Centre of Excellence boasts of an impressive array of world-class facilities, including the remarkable 16 courts designed to meet the rigorous training needs of 60 athletes in phase 1. In addition, the centre features a 4,000 sq ft gymnasium with modern fitness equipment, a 60-bed hostel for players, a dedicated 2,000 sq ft physiotherapy centre to ensure the athletes receive the utmost care and support to maintain their peak performance.
Renowned international badminton coaches Indonesia’s Mulyo Handoyo, who will be looking into the development of singles players, former All England champion Russia’s Ivan Sozonov and Korea’s Park Tae-Sang will be spearheading a strong coaching panel along with a string of Indian coaches, who will also be trained and developed to meet the global standards.
Spread across a humongous area of 40,000 square feet with cutting-edge facilities, the centre comes as a significant milestone for Indian badminton as it redefines badminton training and also empowers the country’s glorious future in the sport.
He also laid the foundation of Amingaon Sports Complex involving a financial outlay of Rs 320 crore at Amingaon.
Giving a snapshot of all activities that the government has proposed for the infrastructure development of sports in the state, Sarma said that the existing Nehru Stadium will be renovated with all state-of-the-art facilities.
“Rs 500 crore will be involved in the renovation exercise with 50 thousand seat capacity. Moreover, another stadium will be constructed in Chandrapur. An Olympic standard swimming pool is being built at Amingaon. Once completed the pool will provide excellent Olympic-standard swimming facilities to the players,” Sarma said.
