Still on the starting bloc

Still on the starting bloc

 Context

The National Sports University Bill is still pending

 Need of a University

The university is intended to fill several gaps that exist in the national sports environment, including in areas such as sports science, technology, management and high performance training.

• Creation of a high standard of infrastructure for the development of sports sciences and the training of athletes
• To facilitate bachelors and masters degrees, research and training in various areas related to sports
• The university is also to double up as the national training centre for select disciplines.
• The university will also be empowered to establish outlying campuses within and outside India
• Apart from academic programmes and research, the university and its outlying campuses are to impart training to elite athletes, sports officials, referees and umpires and evolve as centres of excellence in various disciplines

Foreign assistance

MoU with Australian universities: To make the university a world class one, a memorandum of understanding has been signed by the Government of India with two Australian universities, the University of Canberra and Victoria University, for the development of curriculum, research facilities and laboratories.

To be established in Manipur

Land for the university has been granted by the Government of Manipur free of cost.

Open to all

Section 6 of the Bill states that the university is “open to all castes, creed, race or class”

 University’s Chancellor to be appointed by Centre

The Central government is to review the work and progress of the university.

• The university’s chancellor is to be appointed by the Centre
• The chancellor should be an eminent person in the field of sports who is either a sportsperson himself or a sports administrator or sports academician
• He or she would hold office for a term of five years and not be eligible for reappointment.