BCCI Offers to Fund Olympic Training Centres
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has expressed interest in sponsoring Olympic training facilities – all with its own funding. The Sports Ministry recently told Firstpost that BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla is interested in funding 2 to 3 Olympic sports – relieving the sports ministry from such costs. This happens at a time when the sports ministry is keen to establish Olympic centres for each sport, and the ministry expects to identify and train 100 to 200 talented athletes across all age levels for the current and next Olympic period. To achieve this, the sports ministry involved Realize BC, corporate houses, PSUs, and sports governing bodies like the BCCI.
The Sports Minister recently held a meeting with 58 companies that many of them were interested in helping. With its financial ability, the BCCI has agreed to take responsibility for a few sports on its own. Sports with a similar pattern to cricket, such as baseball, are among the sports that BCCI can use its inclusive relationship in training areas.
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This is not the first time the BCCI has provided support to Olympic sports. The Board recently provided a ₹8.5 crore donation to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to assist with athlete preparations at the upcoming 2024 July Paris Olympics.At present, there are 23 National Centres of Excellence operated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) but only three are dedicated to a specific sport — boxing in Rohtak, swimming and shooting in New Delhi.
