In a landmark event, the Union Minister of State (independent charge) for Sports and Youth Affairs, Kiren Rijiju unveiled the foundation stone of the Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE) being established at the Sangay Lhaden Sports Academy in Chimpu, Itanagar on Tuesday.
The KISCE, Chimpu will focus on three disciplines- weightlifting, archery and judo.
Now the onus lies with the department of sports and the government of Arunachal to make sure that the centre comes up properly.
Arunachal Pradesh is blessed with abundant natural talent in various sporting fields.
However, due to the lack of proper coaching and poor infrastructure, the sportspersons of the state are yet to achieve the desired results at the international level.
In comparison to Arunachal, other NE states have produced bigger sporting talents.
States like Manipur and Mizoram are famous across the country for producing many great sportspersons who had gone on to represent India at the international level, including in the Olympics.
Despite promising talents, the athletes of Arunachal Pradesh are still way behind.
Therefore, the KISCE Chimpu can play a very important role. All the three disciplines – weightlifting, archery and judo are part of the Asian Games and the Olympics.
The Arunachal athletes will have the opportunity to represent India at these mega events if nurtured well.
The state government should properly monitor the KISCE Chimpu so that it comes up properly. The centre has the potential to change the face of the state in the field of sports.