India Will Soon Have A University Exclusively For Sports Education

As of now, there are some institutes which offer courses for athletes and coaches under state universities

By: Rakesh Jha |
May 25, 2018 6:10 pm

The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance to set up country’s first sports university in Manipur, a much- needed step aimed to promote the culture of sports in India.

Speaking to reporters, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said a bill to set up the university in Imphal (west) is already pending in Parliament. He said things will start moving fast once the President signs the ordinance.

Stressing on the need to promote sports in India, Prasad said, “A void exists in the sports environment of the country in various areas such as sports science, sports technology, high performance training,” the bill stated.

Meanwhile, the Manipur government has already allocated land for the proposed university. The proposal to set up the national sports university in Manipur was initially announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while Rs. 100 crore funds for it were allocated in the 2014-15 budget.

As of now, there are some institutes which offer courses for athletes and coaches under state universities. However, the new college coming up in Manipur will be the first Central University in India, to focus on sports education.

It’s a significant step as government had so far given little thought to the systematic development of sports in India. Sports education should be taken up on the war footing at schools, colleges and educational institutions.