Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Set to Become India's Next Sports Hub
Image Source: Internet
New Delhi: The iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the Capital is all set to be transformed into a state-of-the-art Sports City, with the Union Sports Ministry planning to redevelop the existing infrastructure. The ambitious project aims to create a multipurpose facility that will cater to various sports disciplines and provide residential facilities for athletes. The Sports Ministry official revealed that they are drawing inspiration from world-class sporting infrastructure in Dubai and Australia, with a focus on creating a modern Sports City that will host competitions and training venues for multiple sports. The project is still in its nascent stage, with various models of sports cities from around the world being studied. The JLN Stadium, owned and managed by the Sports Authority of India, has a rich history of hosting several historic and memorable sporting events, including the 1982 Asian Games and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The stadium has undergone recent refurbishments, including the installation of a Mondo track for the Para World Athletics Championships in October. The new Sports City will have modern infrastructure, including synthetic turfs for athletics, a football pitch, indoor halls for weightlifting, badminton, and table tennis, as well as facilities for basketball, volleyball, lawn tennis, and archery. A residential wing for athletes and a gymnasium will also be a part of the facility. The project is part of India's bid to host the 2036 Olympics and 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, with the Sports Ministry aiming to build world-class infrastructure that can be utilized to the full. The Doha Sports City, built across over 600 acres, is being cited as a model for the new Sports City in India. In related news, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has announced plans to recruit over 320 assistant coaches across 25 sports disciplines to fill the void of coaches in the Sports Authority of India. The recruitment drive, which will have a second phase with the same number of vacancies, is seen as a key step towards advancing India's sporting ambitions. The recruitment process will be designed in line with the government's medal strategy for the Olympic and Asian Games, focusing on disciplines with strong medal potential. The initiative aligns with the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to make India a global sporting powerhouse and to strengthen the nation's sporting ecosystem through transparent, merit-based systems and institutional capacity building.
