On the very significant sports issue of opening a Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre at Raizada Hansraj Badminton Stadium, District Badminton Association (DBA) Secretary and former national player Ritin Khanna met Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Thakur today.
During the meeting, Ritin Khanna handed over a letter of request to Anurag Thakur in which it was mentioned that there is great need of SAI Centre at Raizada Hansraj Badminton Stadium, Jalandhar,
as this Centre will prove to be extremely helpful in the bright future of the young Badminton players of North India.
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said that the Union Sports Ministry would seriously consider the demand for opening SAI Centre at Hansraj Stadium. He expressed happiness that Ritin Khanna,
who is a former national player, is working so hard for the development of the game of Badminton and said that development works done undertaken by Khanna in Hansraj Stadium in past two years is really commendable.
In the letter submitted by Ritin Khanna to Anurag Thakur, it has mentioned that presently 150 to 200 players of different age groups are undergoing training at Olympian Dipankar Bhattacharjee’s
Badminton Academy, established at Hansraj Stadium. The Stadium also has Hostel facility and five Synthetic Courts have also been installed in the Badminton Hall. Apart from this, the Stadium also has Sports Canteen, Gymnasium,
Yoga and Aerobics Centre. While raising the most crucial fact related to the players, Ritin Khanna said that many Badminton players of North India are not able to perform well at the national level, the biggest reason for
which is that the players here have to travel to South India (Bengaluru and Hyderabad) for getting training in professional Academies.
Ritin Khanna poined out that players in the age group of 12 to 20 years from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, who are eager for excel and get high level training but due to some reason or the other, they are not able to go to South India and are deprived of this training. Going to South India for training also puts lot of financial burden on the players and they also have to face the problem of food. It also creates a lot of hurdles in the smooth pursuit of studies of players. Besides, training away from home also creates lot many other problems as well. Therefore, if the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre is setup in Jalandhar, it will provide lot of relief to the players.
In his letter, Ritin Khanna has mentioned that if SAI Centre comes up at Hansraj Stadium in Jalandhar, it will benefit Badminton players from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir in the age group of 10 to 20 years and they will be able to prepare themselves well to compete at the International level. Therefore, for opening SAI Centre at Hansraj Stadium, it is humble request to appoint officials on behalf of the Sports Ministry, who should visit Hansraj Badminton Stadium and inspect the infrastructure set up for the development of Badminton in the stadium.
Benefits which Players get at SAI Centre
- High level training and good diet
- Free Hostel facility