NEW DELHI: The Youth Affairs & Sports Ministry and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry today launched the ‘India Sports 2014’ at the 5th Global Sports Summit in the presence Ministry Joint Secretary Dr. G S G Ayyangar.

India Sports 2014’ would be organised at the iconic National Stadium and Federation House, FICCI. The event would be an umbrella programme, focusing on all aspects of sports and would bring the entire sports fraternity on one platform.

The first edition would not only serve as a platform for the Indian sports industry to showcase their strength to the Indian and international sports fraternity but would also act as a catalyst in promoting sports among the youth.

The event would include India Sports Expo 2014, an international exhibition on sports sector at the national stadium; TURF 2014, an international conference on sports sector; reverse buyer-seller meet by sports goods export promotion council; networking dinner and concurrent sports activities and tournaments.

At the sports summit, Ayyangar spoke about the details of the ‘Scheme for Identifying and Nurturing Sports Talent in the Country’. Under the scheme, which has been taken up on a pilot basis, talents will be scouted and selected from the present Rajeev Gandhi Krida Abhiyan annual competitions; these sportspersons will be called Young Talent (YT) and they will be specially trained by Physical Education Teachers at every District Level Sports Center.

A District Sports School (DLSS) will be set up in every district in the country in the next ten years. These schools will be set up as public private partnership except in remote and disturbed areas. In such districts, the existing Navodaya Schools are proposed to be upgraded and where it is not possible, new institutions will be set up.

He said that the Ministry will supervise the training in sports and provide sports scholarships and the recurring expenses. The young talent (YT) will be assigned specific disciplines through a scientific process of determination, through a rigorous training programme and participation YT will be identified for center of excellence and YT who excel will be treated as high performers and given admission to a Centre of Excellence (COX).

There will be approximately 25 centres for excellence. Twelve existing SAI centres will be upgraded. Thirteen new centres will be developed and funded by SAI. However, land for such centres will be provided by the State Government free of cost. These centers will be run by SAI.

On the occasion, two reports, ‘Best 25 Ideas’ Sports Start up’s Business in India and ‘Vision 2014: Sector Skills Council, Way Forward’ were released.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed and exchanged between FICCI and the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) in New Zealand to launch the Level 3 course in India under the SIT-John Wright Scholarship programme, which is recognised by NZQA to help athletes not only to harness their existing capability but also to provide an opportunity in getting higher qualification courses and good opportunity in New Zealand.

FICCI will help SIT in connecting with premiere institutes as a partner for launching this pilot course. This course will be 100% sponsored by the John Wright - SIT Scholarship programme.  The John Wright - SIT Scholarship programme is founded by John Wright, Former New Zealand Cricketer and India Cricket Team Coach (2000-05).

At the successful completion of this programme, students will have the required competencies to function successfully and effectively at operational levels within the sports training sector. A graduating student could be expected to undertake employment in areas such as coaching/retail sectors, or continue on to further study in Diploma in Spord Recreat antion, Diploma in Sport and Exercise (Level 5), Diploma in Sport and Exercise (Level 6) or Bachelor of Sport and Exercise in New Zealand.

New Zealand High Commissioner Jan Henderson said the certificate obtained under the John Wright - SIT Scholarship programme will help students gain skills and knowledge for working or for further training in the sports training sector. The content gives athletes and coaches the knowledge to allow themselves and others to achieve their potential. The programme has a strong focus on sport psychology, nutrition and exercise prescription and finding out how the body becomes stronger, fitter and faster when stressed by exercise.

New Zealand is passionate about sports and was happy to partner with India in the field of sports. Sports was a key pillar for strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. She added that early next year, New Zealand will host the Indian Cricket Team and will co-host the Cricket World Cup in 2015, she said.

FICCI President Naina Lal Kidwai represented to the Ministry the need to grant industry status to sports, and said that a committee under the chairmanship of Director General, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and FICCI prepared a report on ‘Granting infrastructure Status to Sports Sector’.

She said, “It is a proud moment for FICCI to note that under new Companies Act 2013, sports infrastructure is part of ‘infrastructure facilities’ and ‘infrastructure projects’. Besides, there is a specific mention of sports related businesses to be registered as a type of ‘limited company’. FICCI is also closely coordinating with National Skills Development Corporation for setting up Sector Skills Council in Sports, Physical Education, Fitness and Leisure sector. According to our latest study, this sector will require more than 43 lakhs support personnel in various roles in sports by 2022.”

FICCI Sports Committee Chairman and Managing Director, Tata Metaliks, Sanjiv Paul said that the sports sector is marching ahead as one of the fastest growing sector of the economy. The size of the sports industry is increasing, employment avenues are opening and money is coming in from all quarters. The exchange of ideas TURF 2013 should lead to the flourishing of sports business in India.

He said that this year an SME-Academia-Investors Forum in Sports (SAI-FIS) is planned during TURF 2013 a collaborative effort amongst between FICCI, Indian Venture Capitalists Association (IVCA) and All India Council of Physical Education (AICPE). The objective is to stimulate SME-Academia-Investor partnership as it is critical for growth of sports sector in general and the stakeholders in particular.

 FICCI Sports Committee co-chairman Abhijit Sarkar and head-corporate communications, Sahara India Pariwar, said that the start-ups have added significant value in creating a sports culture across the country. They are the next generation of big corporations, who are supporting the growth of the sports industry in their own unique way. They are not only creating a brilliant ecosystem for budding talent to hone their talent and showcase their skills but are also creating employment opportunities for many others who want to develop career in sports.

FICCI, director general, Arbind Prasad said, “FICCI welcomes The Prevention of Sporting Fraud Bill, 2013 to combat frauds in relation to domestic national and international sporting event developed after extensive consultation between Sports and Law Ministry. To aid the Ministry’s efforts in this direction, FICCI had organised a conference on ‘Regulating Sports Betting and Sports Law’. In this conference, experts suggested that the government should set up an Independent Regulatory Commission to study the various aspects of betting in-depth and come out with solutions to eliminate bookies and make sports betting fair.”