Sachin may lord over GU's school of sports

Gujarat University plans to set up School of Sports to be named after Tendulkar who has shown ‘keen interest’

Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Friday, December 17, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article&sectname=News%20-%20Latest&sectid=2&contentid=2010121720101217030549102b332edc0

Sachin Tendulkar, the god of cricket, could be directing a sports academy in the city by next year if things move as Gujarat University has planned.

Vice Chancellor Parimal Trivedi has proposed to Tendulkar, whom his peers describe the game’s best ambassador, to head a sports academy that is likely to come up in about 10 months.

The academy, to be formally named School of Sports, will bear Tendulkar’s name. The university intends to pay him an honorarium and the institute will function as a self-financed entity. Initial talks have already been conducted and the project is likely to be finalised by next month, Trivedi said.

Tendulkar’s initial response has been very positive though he is unlikely to take active part in the setting up of the academy over the next three years, Trivedi said.

This, because one of the greatest cricketers to play the game ever is likely to be more active on the field, doing national duty and donning colours for his Mumbai Indians and Mumbai teams.

The university officials discussed the project with Tendulkar when he was in the city to play in the Test match against New Zealand at Motera stadium on November 4-8. “Though he showed keen interest in the project, he left the matter to his secretary Vinod Sanghvi to look into,” the vice chancellor said.

Sanghvi, in turn, told the university that looking into the batting maestro’s international and domestic commitments, Tendulkar would only work as an honorary director of the academy, the first three years. But he would definitely give his inputs on the curriculum and give general direction in which the academy should be steered, Sanghvi said.

Sanghvi is likely to return the proposal with his comments by next month.

With grounds and rudimentary infrastructure ready, Trivedi intends to make the proposed School of Sports functional in the next eight to 10 months.
According to Trivedi, the School of Sports shall offer high performance training in chosen sports, organise local and national level games, university certificate of education (UCE) in sports, certificate III and IV in sport coaching, sport and recreation or fitness, Sports Authority of India’s level 1 and 2 coaching national accreditation, and accredited first aid certificate levels 1, 2 and 3 among other programmes.
The major sports to be covered are cricket, badminton, football, hockey, volleyball, wrestling, athletics, kabaddi, kho-kho, yoga, health medicine, healthy diet and nutrition. More sports could be added as the school evolves, Trivedi said.