Maharashtra Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Sunil Kedar said that the International Sports University which is going to come up in Pune will be producing talented sportspersons who will be helping the country in becoming a superpower in the field of sports.
The International Sports University is supposed to come up at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex at Mhalunge-Balewadi.
Kedar was in Pune to interact with the sports fraternity on Friday, in order to take their suggestions for the very first International Sports University.
He said that the competition at the world level at present was the new basic. The prime aim of any sportsperson was to compete at the international level. He expects the same from the University. They are going to create a place with facilities of international standards where students will get expertise in sports and help their state and country to become a force to reckon with.
He added that there was no political hindrance to that project. All the members of the House had unanimously approved, appreciated, and passed the idea.
He also said that the ready infrastructure and sports culture in Pune was the biggest reason to pick that city as the preferred venue for the university. He also said that one needs to create infrastructure in order to build a university. They will have to spend a huge amount in creating the infrastructure if they set it up in some other city. It will require time and approvals along with money. All they had to do was plan and start academics there as they already had a very good infrastructure-ready there. They hope that the University will benefit the city and vice versa since Pune has had a rich sports culture.
Kedar also said that they have provided for student exchange programs along with invitations for international experts to educate students at the university. This will ensure that the students get a broader perspective.
Omprakash Bakoria who is the Sports Commissioner said that the sports department was in talks for possible tie-ups with institutes like IIM and IIT. Bakoria said that they had written to IIT-Mumbai and IIM-Ahmedabad for the possibility of tie-ups. They were looking to get expertise from these institutes for their courses like Sports Governance, Sports technology, and Sports Management.
THE ABVP NATIONAL CONFERENCE ORGANISED VIA ONLINE MODE
Bakoria added that they will meet corporates associated with sports. They would meet with companies like Reebok, Nike, and other sports manufacturers so that their students get jobs in those companies when they complete their course.
Kedar said that from the 2021-2022 academic year, the university will start operations.
