‘Lakshyavedh’ scheme: Maharashtra okays Rs 160 crore to prepare its 3,740 athletes for Olympics

Sports Commissioner Rajesh Deshmukh said during a press conference conducted ahead of MahaOpen ATP Challenger 100 Men’s International Tennis Championship that begins tomorrow.

Sports Commissioner Rajesh Deshmukh made the announcement. (Express file photo)

Maharashtra has allocated Rs 160 crore for ‘Lakshyavedh’ scheme, which aims to prepare 3,740 sportspersons for Olympic Games in 12 items and the centre for imparting training for tennis will be Pune’s Balewadi stadium, said the newly appointed Sports Commissioner Rajesh Deshmukh.

“In the first phase, 12 sports — athletics, badminton, boxing, weightlifting, hockey, wrestling, archery, shooting, rowing, sailing, lawn tennis, and table tennis — will be covered under Mission Lakshyavedh. Under this scheme, 37 sports excellence centres will also be built at divisional level,” Deshmukh said during a press conference conducted for MahaOpen ATP Challenger 100 Men’s International Tennis Championship.

The championship, sponsored by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), is scheduled from February 17 to February 25.

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Deshmukh said that Maharashtra has performed well in many events across India, and now the players need to be trained for the Olympics.

“Providing international competition to Indian players and also the promotion of sports has been one of the main reasons for us and the PMRDA is getting involved and supporting this event,” he added.

As many as 100 players from across 28 countries will participate in the tennis event organised by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA). The total prize money will be $130,000 (Rs.1.07 crore).

MSLTA chairman Prashant Sutar announced that Sumit Nagal will lead national and international players. Apart from Nagal some other players are Adukovic Duje (Croatia, 125), Sachko Vitaly (Ukraine, 165), Vacherot Valentin (Myanmar, 171), Walton Adam (Australia, 177), Crawford Oliver (Great Britain, 190), Jacquet Kyrian (France, 193), Seversina Dalbor (Czech Republic, 194), and Gio Federico (Italy, 197).

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