NEW DELHI: Indian Olympic Association (IAO) president PT Ucha said on Friday that the training camps for Indian athletes are all taking place long before big upcoming events like the asian games this year and the Olympic Games next year in Paris.
“The Asian Games are coming this year or maybe next year. The Olympics are also coming and a lot of preparation is going on in different national camps… The government is already organizing national camps in different places.
“First we have to prioritize the athletes who are in the national camp. The coaches camps and all those things are going well…” Usha told reporters here on the sidelines of the launch of the Little Millennium Kids Marathon. . .
Usha also stressed the need to nurture talent at a young age and at the grassroots level.
“I can say that in our country there is a lot of talent. The only problem is that there is not much support locally. So we have a good program like Khelo India. There will be good players or good athletes. in the 12-13 age bracket. So we need support, we have to support them. What I do in my academy. So that kind of help that I want to do in every state,” said the 58-year-old Indian legend, a Rajya Sabha member now, added.
Usha, who runs an athletics academy in Kerala, said she was happy to prepare the youngsters, which was hard but enjoyable work.
She also clapped for support at the local level and said “at the local level it should be very systematic, so the players (athletes) will do better in the future.”
Emphasizing systematic scouting and training, Usha said “you need talent scouting in every state and some centers should be there for the systematic and scientific way of talent scouting and training. Everything should be systematic, every state should have this kind of academy.”
Usha also urged parents to encourage their children to play sports and called for awareness of child abuse. The Little Millennium Kids Marathon to be held here on Saturday is organized to raise awareness about child abuse.
(With PTI entries)
“The Asian Games are coming this year or maybe next year. The Olympics are also coming and a lot of preparation is going on in different national camps… The government is already organizing national camps in different places.
“First we have to prioritize the athletes who are in the national camp. The coaches camps and all those things are going well…” Usha told reporters here on the sidelines of the launch of the Little Millennium Kids Marathon. . .
Usha also stressed the need to nurture talent at a young age and at the grassroots level.
“I can say that in our country there is a lot of talent. The only problem is that there is not much support locally. So we have a good program like Khelo India. There will be good players or good athletes. in the 12-13 age bracket. So we need support, we have to support them. What I do in my academy. So that kind of help that I want to do in every state,” said the 58-year-old Indian legend, a Rajya Sabha member now, added.
Usha, who runs an athletics academy in Kerala, said she was happy to prepare the youngsters, which was hard but enjoyable work.
She also clapped for support at the local level and said “at the local level it should be very systematic, so the players (athletes) will do better in the future.”
Emphasizing systematic scouting and training, Usha said “you need talent scouting in every state and some centers should be there for the systematic and scientific way of talent scouting and training. Everything should be systematic, every state should have this kind of academy.”
Usha also urged parents to encourage their children to play sports and called for awareness of child abuse. The Little Millennium Kids Marathon to be held here on Saturday is organized to raise awareness about child abuse.
(With PTI entries)
