BCCI looks to adopt Olympic disciplines

GOVT MULLING APPROVAL TO OCI ATHLETES

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

The BCCI is "keen on adopting two to three Olympic disciplines" in the sports ministry's ambitious plan to have corporate-backed individual Centres of Excellence, the work for which will begin this year.

This was conveyed by the cash-rich cricket body in a meeting with sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya here Thursday. The gathering also featured "representatives from 58 corporate houses".

"Mr Rajeev Shukla, who represented the BCCI in this meeting, said that the Board is willing to adopt two to three Olympic disciplines and would leave it on the ministry to decide what those disciplines would be," a source in the sports ministry said.

"The ministry welcomes this. Our plan is to build Olympic Centres for each sport, which would train 100 to 200 of the very best in the country keeping in mind the current and the next Olympic cycle.

"There were 58 corporates in today's meeting and all of them were keen to support this plan," the source added.

Currently, India has 23 National Centres of Excellence operated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Of these, only three are single-sport facilities dedicated to boxing (Rohtak), swimming (Delhi) and shooting (Delhi). The two biggest NCOES catering to multiple sports are in Patiala and Bengaluru.