Sports Finds Centre Stage at IIT KGP

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Following the feat of winning medal at the State Athletics Championship, IIT Kharagpur has again ventured in the sports arena by roping in professional tennis player Saurav Sukul to train the students’ tennis team at IIT KGP. About 12 students are training for 4 hours a day of whom several are first time players. The Institute has also built a synthetic court for practice.

Sukul who has played professional tennis in the international circuit has recently started to train the students. “Though national and international level circuits require a substantial amount of time to be invested and regular training is required, the players here at IIT KGP are the creme of the society and even I am getting motivated by their talent and self-motivation despite tight study schedule,” he said. Sukul astounded with the facilities for training and engagement of human resources at IIT KGP which he affirms is comparable to top universities in the US where students are known to join colleges for playing sports.

The students have been doing associated with physical training sessions and food supplements. The students are currently training for the upcoming Inter-IIT Sports at IIT Guwahati.

Snigdha Pathak, 4th-year student of Integrated M.Sc. from the Dept. of Chemistry and captain of the Women’s Students’ Team said, “IIT KGP has given us really good opportunities to learn sports especially as a girl student I got the best opportunity to learn Tennis here with international tennis players training us in January and now an ATP player coaching us.”

Krishna Chaitra, 4th-year undergraduate student at the Dept. of Electrical Engineering expressed his delight n receiving such professional training which he believes will not only help the students in sports competition but further in their career even create opportunities for further pursuing sports career. Few students have already played at state junior level championships.

Illustrious alumnus and philanthropist Vinod Gupta had taken a keen interest in supporting the Tennis team through funding professional training programs. He has also arranged for two more Tennis coaches who would be joining the team later this year.

The Institute has already allocated an amount of Rs. 10 crore for upgrading and renovating sports activities to host the Inter IIT 2019. This is in addition to the annual sports budget of Rs 1.5 crore allocated by the Institute.

“The impact sports have on the human mind is much beyond physical fitness. It is known to make people resilient and self-motivated through constant training and a healthy competitive attitude which can positively affect studies and overall quality of life. We are contemplating on a major thrust to sports and extra-curricular activities to make education holistic, inclusive and strengthen resilience,” said Prof. P P Chakrabarti, Director, IIT Kharagpur.

By Shreyoshi Ghosh

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