"The central and state government has to work together and we will provide all necessary financial assistance so they develop with proper infrastructure and manpower, sports science, high quality training and so on. We cannot be satisfied with only one-two medals, we have to be in top 10 in 2028 Olympics," Rijiju said on Tuesday.

 

He made these comments while virtually inaugurating eight Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCEs) across the country.

 

"This is a very important day for sports in India and it is a very important beginning to develop sports culture and excellence in the country. The youth in India is looking for initiatives from the government of India and the state governments," said Rijiju.

 

The Sports Ministry had identified sports facilities in the following eight states to be upgraded to the KISCE. The centres identified are:

 

1. Nagaland- State Sports Academy, IG Stadium Kohima

2. Manipur - Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, Imphal

3. Arunachal Pradesh - Sangey Lhaden Sports Academy, Chimpu Itanagar

4. Mizoram - Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl

5. Odisha - Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar

6. Telangana - Regional Sports School Hakimpet

7. Karnataka - Sh. Jayaprakash Narayan National Youth Centre Bangalore

8. Kerala - GV Raja Sr. Sec. Sports School Thiruvananthapuram

 

With a vision to make India one of the top 10 countries in 2028 Olympics, the KISCEs would ensure that athletes proficient in a certain sport can be given the world-class specialised training and these centers become the best facilities in the country to train athletes in the priority sport for which they have been earmarked, as per the sports ministry.