New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Meerut in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday to lay the foundation for the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University. According to an official release, the university will be established at an estimated cost of ₹700 crore at the Salawa and Kaili villages of the Sardhana town in Meerut.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the sports university will have the capacity of training 1,080 sportspersons, including 540 women and 540 men.
Modi had earlier said that inculcating sporting culture and establishing a world-class sporting infrastructure in all parts of the country is one of the key areas of focus for his government. The establishment of the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in the poll-bound state is expected to be a major step towards fulfilling this vision.
Named after field hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, the sports university has been planned with all the modern, state-of-the-art sports infrastructure – including a synthetic hockey ground, football ground, separate grounds for basketball, volleyball, handball, and kabaddi.
It also includes a lawn tennis court, gymnasium hall, a synthetic running stadium, swimming pool, a multipurpose hall and a cycling velodrome.
According to the government release, the university will also house facilities for shooting, squash, gymnastics, weightlifting, archery, canoeing, and kayaking, among other facilities.
Major Dhyan Chand, widely regarded as one of the greatest field hockey players in history, scored three Olympic gold medals for India – in 1928, 1932, and 1936 – at a time when the country dominated field hockey. Although he played for India, ‘The Wizard’ extended his influence abroad in the West, too – where he was called the “hockey’s equivalent of Muhammad Ali”.
In 1956, India awarded Major Dhyan Chand the country’s third-highest civilian honour – the Padma Bhushan – and his birthday on August 29 is celebrated as National Sports Day every year.
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