.jpg "A Wedding Budget Breakdown To Spend With Intention")
Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu and Andhra Pradesh IT & HRD Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday formally kick-started the P.V. Sindhu Centre for Sports Excellence, laying the foundation stone for a facility designed to develop young sporting talent and potentially produce India’s future Olympians.
The proposed campus will cover close to two lakh square feet and is being developed as a combination of sporting and educational infrastructure, rather than a facility dedicated to a single discipline.
The project initially began with badminton as its primary focus but was subsequently expanded after Sindhu held discussions with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. The centre will now offer training facilities across seven sports — badminton, table tennis, swimming, shooting, football, basketball and chess.
Sindhu said the idea was to ensure that no particular sport was given preferential treatment, with all seven disciplines being developed as integral parts of the centre from the beginning.
Considerable research also went into shaping the project. Sindhu and her husband, Venkata Datta Sai, used their holidays to visit prominent sporting facilities in different parts of the world, including centres in Doha, Milan and Australia. The visits helped the couple study international approaches to athlete development, sports infrastructure and the overall sporting environment.
“We put our sweat and blood into it. I can confidently tell you that it will be a world-class center and, at the same time, it will be an institute where people will actually be like, ‘Wow, this is what we need in our state and in the country,’” Sindhu told The Hindu.
The centre is targeted for completion in May 2028. It is expected to allow youngsters to try their hand at different sports before deciding where they want to specialise, creating a structured route from grassroots participation to high-performance sport.
For Sindhu, the project is intended to extend her contribution to Indian sport beyond her own career. She described the initiative as a way of creating a lasting legacy by helping provide the next generation with the facilities and opportunities needed to pursue Olympic ambitions.
“Sport has given me and taught me so much. It is a big project and is not easy, but at the same time I wanted something on this scale. I want to show people that we have a lot of talent and if we give them the world-class facilities, I’m sure you will see a lot of kids go on to bag medals for the state and the nation,” she remarked.
“India gave me the opportunity to win two Olympic medals, which changed my life. And this institution is how I carry that opportunity forward. My medals will always be my greatest honour and I hope this centre becomes my greatest contribution. Olympic medals inspire a generation, but institutions build generations.”
Sindhu will be next in action during the BWF World Championships in New Delhi later this month.
– Ends
