Lokesh performs bhumi puja for P.V. Sindhu Centre for Sports Excellence
Andhra Pradesh IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday unveiled the foundation stone for the P.V. Sindhu Centre for Sports Excellence at Thota Garuvu
Andhra Pradesh IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday unveiled the foundation stone for the P.V. Sindhu Centre for Sports Excellence at Thota Garuvu in the Arilova area in the city, where two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu announced that she would invest “most of what she has earned in her life” to establish the integrated sports and education campus. Lokesh, accompanied by Minister for Youth Affairs, Sports and Services M. Ramprasad Reddy, was received by Ms. Sindhu and members of her family on his arrival at the venue. The programme commenced with a bhumi puja, followed by the unveiling of the foundation plaque. An audio-visual presentation outlining the vision for the proposed centre preceded the addresses by the dignitaries.
The project is expected to be completed by May 2028. Addressing the gathering, Ms. Sindhu described the project as “the foundation for thousands of dreams”, adding: “Olympic medals inspire a generation. Institutions build generations.” She announced that she was committing “most of what I have earned in my life” to the initiative and appealed for corporate social responsibility support to help build a sporting culture across multiple sports. Speaking about the choice of Visakhapatnam, Ms. Sindhu said: “The honest answer is that, in many ways, Visakhapatnam chose us.” She added that she wanted “every child who enters this campus to feel that world-class opportunity has come home and that they do not have to leave their roots behind in order to reach the world.” “This centre does not belong to me.
It belongs to Visakhapatnam. It belongs to Andhra Pradesh. It belongs to India,” she said, concluding her address. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Lokesh said the project had evolved from a badminton academy into a multi-sport institution after Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu suggested expanding its scope beyond a single discipline. “People see the medal, but they don’t always see the journey,” he said. “Olympic medals are won by athletes, but Olympic dreams are built by institutions,” he said. He added that the institution would become a catalyst for Andhra Pradesh’s sporting ecosystem and reiterated the State government’s commitment to supporting the project. On the sidelines of the programme, M.V. Muralikrishna, badminton coach, founder of Laqshya Badminton Academy and coach of the Indian para badminton team, said the proposed centre would fill a critical gap in Visakhapatnam’s sporting ecosystem.
The BriefWire