Uttarakhand has begun planning for the 2036 Olympics by targeting 100-150 promising young athletes for scientific training. The state will focus on talent hunts, school-level identification, coaching and athlete support.
Uttarakhand has already begun planning for the 2036 Olympics, with the state government concentrating on finding talented youngsters who could be trained scientifically from their early days. Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan convened a meeting with Sports Department officials to chalk out a long-term plan for grooming sporting talent of the state.
The plan involved identification of those sports which can benefit from the geographical characteristics of the state and its youngsters’ physical capabilities and then coaching of those chosen ones in a systematic manner.
Sports to Be Selected on Basis of State’s Potential
Bardhan has said that sports development should be made one of the top priorities of the state rather than a secondary matter. The Sports Department has been asked to identify those disciplines where the athletes of Uttarakhand will have inherent strength.
Statewide Search for Athletes Who Will Be Future Champions
A wide-scale search will be conducted in the state of Uttarakhand to uncover future champions. The Chief Secretary emphasised the importance of developing a transparent, reliable and scientific system of selection, so no merited children can slip through.
As the first step, authorities have been instructed to shortlist 100 to 150 children who demonstrate good athletic potential. Selected athletes will receive training and other important assistance regarding coaching, nutrition, physical shape and other things necessary. The government intends to be proactive so that lack of funds or any other limitation does not hinder their training.
Schools to Serve as the First Point of Uncovering Young Talent
The second element of the plan involves the identification of future athletes at the schools. Bardhan said that sports need to be incorporated into the educational process.
Physical Training Instructors in the schools will receive special sensitisation and training so that they would be able to detect talented children and direct them into suitable sporting discipline.
Building up a Strong Team of Coaches
In addition, the state will make efforts towards developing coaches too. The current group of talented athletes will be provided training at various renowned institutes in India as well as abroad with an expectation that they would become skilled coaches in the future. It will lead to building up a better team of local coaches to train upcoming athletes in the state of Uttarakhand.
Fixed Schedule for Olympics Preparations
The Chief Secretary instructed the officials to finalise the schedule right away, starting from the identification of talent to the training of the athletes. Every step would include some objectives to meet in the due course. As the 2036 Olympics are many years ahead from now, the state wishes to utilise this period in a systematic manner to prepare itself for the event.