Rs 5-Cr National Sports Academy to Come Up in Tirupati
The academy is expected to be the second advanced sports training centre of its kind in the country after Patiala
TIRUPATI: A ₹5-crore national-level sports academy is set to come up at the Sri Srinivasa Sports Complex in Tirupati, with Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) chairman A. Ravi Naidu performing the bhumi puja for the project on Friday.
Planned to national standards, the academy is expected to be the second advanced sports training centre of its kind in the country after Patiala. The project includes a state-of-the-art weightlifting hall, a residential hostel for athletes, and facilities for a range of indoor and outdoor sports.
Officials said the residential hostel will accommodate about 200 sportspersons. A national-standard weightlifting hall with the capacity to train around 80 athletes at a time will be developed, along with a separate gymnastics hall. A meeting and training hall with seating for about 150 persons will also be constructed for coaching sessions, reviews and training programmes.
In addition to weightlifting, the academy will offer infrastructure for sports such as judo, lawn tennis, badminton and chess. A residential training model will be followed, enabling athletes to access training facilities, accommodation and support services within the same campus.
Addressing the gathering, Ravi Naidu said the State government was giving priority to sports development and athlete training. He said the Tirupati academy would function as a comprehensive training centre to identify and nurture talent from across Andhra Pradesh.
Referring to Olympic weightlifter Karnam Malleswari, he said young athletes should draw inspiration from her achievements and aim for national and international success. He added that the academy would focus on quality coaching and modern equipment.
Naidu said the new facility would help Tirupati emerge as a key sports training hub in the State and benefit local youth as well as district- and state-level athletes. Construction works will be taken up on a fast track, and the academy is expected to be operational by June 2026.
