NEWS
Follow UsIt is no secret that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has always supported Indian athletes who represent the nation at the Olympics. BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently announced that the new National Cricket Academy (NCA) will be operational soon on the outskirts of Bengaluru. He further said that the facilities at the new NCA will be made available for Olympians like Neeraj Chopra.
"We are going to make it available for Olympic sportspersons too, like Neeraj Chopra," Jay Shah said during an interview with the Times of India.
Construction of the new NCA, which has been underway for years, was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The BCCI secretary said that his primary focus was to get the NCA functional once the situation was under control.
"When I took over as BCCI secretary in Sept 2019, immediately within three to four months, there was the Covid-19 pandemic. All our focus was on how to host the IPL and some domestic cricket. For two years, the BCCI office was almost shut," Shah said.
"Once we got the second term, we decided that we must take this forward. This was about developing facilities in the North-East and the NCA. I laid the foundation stone in 2022 in Bengaluru. In 2008, we had procured land, but no work was done. I don't know why my predecessors didn't do anything."
The new NCA will have all the necessary state-of-the-art facilities, including three international-standard playing grounds complemented by 45 practice pitches. Indoor cricket pitches, an Olympic-size swimming pool, cutting-edge training and recovery services along with sports science facilities will be available for the athletes to use.
Shah also confirmed that VVS Laxman, whose contract as the head coach of the NCA ends in September, will continue in his role.
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