Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu now looks to give back to the sport, with the foundation stone for the 'Centre of Sports Excellence', initiated by the shuttler, laid down in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh performed the foundation stone laying ceremony for the facility, which will be constructed in the Arilova area of Visakhapatnam. Sindhu was also present at the ceremony. While speaking to the media, she talked about the ceremony and her aim to give it back to the sport after spending over a decade as a top-level badminton player. A total of seven sports will be encouraged through the facility, and Sindhu hopes that it builds a generation of new sporting champions for the nation.
Speaking to the media, she said, "I am very happy and very excited. Today we have, we had this 'Bhumi Puja' foundation stone, and it gives me great pleasure. Of course, Lokesh garu had come, and he has done it. And also other ministers, the sports minister and MLAs are here. I am very happy that we have started off and I have been given a timeline, which is the year 2028."
"I hope I inspire a lot of kids out there, and I want to see, and I hope to see that a lot of girls and boys from here will get a good name for the state as well as for the nation," she added.
Sindhu said that she is a deputy collector in the state government and she has been given land for building this facility, and she wants to give back to the sport by encouraging players who form a very promising, competitive sporting ecosystem in the state.
"I am a deputy collector here in the Andhra government, and they have given me land here. So I think, you know, I have learned a lot from sports and sport has given me so much in my life. I think it is time to give back to the sport now. I see a lot of youngsters, a lot of talent, you know, a lot of competition in Andhra," she said.
"I thought, you know, having an amazing world-class facility institute here will get a lot of kids and, you know, they can also show their talent and also they can prove themselves that way. So I am glad that I am doing the academy here," she added.
Sindhu said that after the facility is constructed, talent will be identified in terms of the rankings and which sport they excel in, with the academy encouraging seven sports.
"Initially, when they start off as kids, they would want to explore every sport, and when they are nine or ten years old, they would want to choose one sport. According to how they are and what their foundation is, when they start, some of them might need a lot of strength and endurance. We will see how it is, and we have expertise out there. We will have world-class coaches as well and accordingly take it from there," she said.
Sindhu said that having played badminton so many years and being a part of that ecosystem, she understands what it takes to be a champion, to build a champion and to encourage young talent.
"I understand that it is not everybody can become an Olympic champion. A couple of people might take a lot of time to get success, but a couple of people might have it very easy and early. Like in a few months, they can get success. But the most important part is that you need to have that belief and support," she said.
"No matter where life takes you, you will see more losses than wins, and you will learn from them, experience them and bounce back stronger. This is what I want to tell the kids out there, that do not lose hope, keep believing in yourself. So I am hoping for the best. Hopefully, during the grand opening, Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra CM) will be there. It will be my great pleasure that with the support of the Andhra government and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), I build a great sports institute," she signed off. (ANI)
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