Aditya Kumar Gaurav, a cadet of Jharkhand Sports Academy created history when he became the first boy from State to be selected to represent India in Under -15 wrestling. He will represent the Country in the U-15 Asian Wrestling Championship which will be organized in Bahrain in July.
Gaurav grabbed Gold in national trials organized in Haryana to secure his place for the championship.
Jharkhand is rich with mountains, forests, waterfalls. Besides the natural Flora and fauna, the State is home to immense sports talent but because of the dearth of infrastructure facilities and coaching, this natural talent at grass root level usually cannot fulfil their potential and bring laurels to the Country. To overcome these lacunae and for promotion of sports in the state Sports Academy at Khelgaon,Hotwar, Ranchi was established.
The project is an unique Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL). The academy is a jointly funded project of CCL and State Govt of Jharkhand. In addition to funding, CCL is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the academy. The objective of the academy is to lend wings to the dreams of the children of the State, nurturing them holistically so that they can scale great heights.
The foundation of the academy was laid in 2015 when an MoU was signed between CCL and the State Government. The initial batch of 78 children joined the academy in 2016. Presently, there are 437 children in the academy. About 96 per cent of the sports cadets belong to SC or ST and other backward communities. Jharkhand State Sports Promotion Society (JSSPS) has been accredited for 4 years under Khelo India Development Program.
The children are selected for the academy through a transparent and objective selection process. The selection trials for the academy is one of the largest talent hunt programs organized anywhere in the Country. A team of professionals selects children based on simple Motor Ability Tests carried across the 24 Districts of Jharkhand. The entire selection process is video graphed and by evening, on the day of evaluation, the results of trials are uploaded on the website of the academy. One can assess the popularity of the academy by the fact that in the year 2016-17 when the trials started, 4200 were applications received, while in the year 2019-20, this figure surged to 3.24 lakhs.
The selected cadets are given training in ten distinct sports disciplines by expert coaches. They train the cadets in Athletics, Archery, Football. Taekwondo, Weightlifting, Cycling. Swimming, Shooting, Wrestling and Boxing. Training in five new disciplines will commence shortly.
The cadets are likewise provided with all the amenities, from boarding and lodging to medical and accidental insurance. The campus has a separate hostel for boys and girls and is Wi-Fi enabled.
In a brief span of five years, the cadets have brought numerous laurels to the State and the Country. Florence Barla who was a cadet of the Sports Academy won gold medals in 400 meter and 4X 400 meter (Relay) in Eurasian Athletic meet held at Kazakhstan. Deepak Toppo, another athlete from JSSPS holds the national record in 60mtr run in Under 14 categories. He attained this feat in the 36th National Junior Athletics Championships held at Guwahati, Assam. Chanchala Kumari a tribal girl from the outskirts of Ranchi who was selected and groomed at the academy will represent the Country in the Sub-Junior World Wrestling Championship in Hungary.The cadets of the academy have won 845 medals in different International, National, State and District competitions.
The achievements of cadets like Aditya and many others are a testimony to the fact that sooner than later the cadets from this academy will win the coveted Olympic medal.