Kalmadi to inaugurate jumping academy tomorrow

Pune, Apr 30 (UNI) As many as 80 junior athletes (30 boys and 50 girls) have been selected to undergo year round training-cum- coaching under experts at the special jumping academy jointly started by the Pune International Marathon Trust (PIMT) and the Pune District Amateur Athletic Association (PDAAA).

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi, MP and chairman of PIMT, would inaugurate the academy tomorrow, on the occasion of the Labour and Maharashtra day.

Talking to reporters here today, Mr Kalmadi said PIMT and the PDAAA have drawn a three-year plan to give the much-needed boost to the jumping events namely long and high jump events with a foresight on winning medals in the national and international events.

Mr Kalmadi, who is also the president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), said AFI would be idenifying more places to have such type of academies.

PIMT General Secretary Pralhad Sawant said initially the selected boys and girls would be trained at the two specialised jumping pits created at the PIMT complex while the nearby venue of the Baburao Sanas ground would also have two pits for the trainees which is expected to be avaibale from June onwards.

All the selected trainees were selected from the Pune Municipal Corporation run schools.

They would be trained under coaching of Ram Bhagwat, Suresh Gujarati, former Olympian Balkrishna Akotkar, Shiv Chhatarapati awardee Gurbans Kaur and former Maharashtra Directorate of Sports deputy director Ramesh Mishra, Mr Sawant said.

The academy would also seek assistance from Sports Authority of India(SAI), he added.

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