SRINAGAR, OCTOBER 07: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today inaugurated a ₹30.35-crore package of sports infrastructure at the Sher-i-Kashmir Multi Sports Activity Centre (SKMSAC) at Gindun Rajbagh, marking a significant expansion of facilities for swimming and gymnastics in Jammu & Kashmir.
The newly inaugurated facilities include a 50-metre × 25-metre, 10-lane Olympic-sized swimming pool, an all-weather heated training and toddler swimming pool, and a modern indoor gymnastics hall equipped with state-of-the-art equipment.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the new facilities would provide young people with opportunities to take up sports beyond traditional disciplines and enable them to train throughout the year.
“Through this facility, we are trying to provide students with new sports milieu. For example, there is an Olympic-sized swimming pool in Kashmir for the first time. Now, there is an arrangement for heating, which will be done through solar energy so that children can practice and train here for 12 months a year,” he said.
The main swimming pool, constructed at a cost of ₹19.96 crore, is equipped with 10 competition lanes, diving platforms at 1, 3 and 5 metres, modern filtration, circulation and disinfection systems, changing rooms, washrooms, storage lockers and spectator seating for 300 people. The facility has been developed to support competitive swimming, diving and other aquatic sports.
The ₹5.35-crore training and toddler swimming pool facility has been designed for year-round use, with a heating system, indoor lap pool, child-friendly toddler pool, anti-skid pool decking, modern filtration and disinfection systems, and supporting changing and shower facilities. The facility is intended to cater to athletes, students and the wider community, including winter training.
The ₹5.04-crore gymnastics hall, spread over 36 metres × 21 metres with a 10-metre height, has been equipped with modern gymnastics equipment. The facility is expected to provide a dedicated platform for gymnastics training and coaching in Kashmir, where the Jammu & Kashmir Sports Council has been conducting coaching camps and working towards developing a dedicated Gymnastics Academy.
Referring to the new gymnastics’ facility, the Chief Minister said there was considerable interest among children in Kashmir in taking up the sport, but the lack of dedicated infrastructure had limited opportunities.
“Generally, when we talk about gymnastics in Jammu and Kashmir, we only talk about Jammu. However, our children are interested in it and want to do it in Kashmir. But due to the lack of infrastructure, they could not do it,” he said.
“A magnificent indoor gymnastics hall was inaugurated today. In the same way, we will keep adding more sports so that we can give our children options and alternatives. And they can also develop an interest in new sports,” the Chief Minister added.
During the inauguration, the Chief Minister witnessed live swimming and gymnastics demonstrations by sports persons and trainees at the newly developed facilities.
The new infrastructure is aimed at strengthening grassroots participation, widening access to professional coaching and creating better pathways for young athletes to progress to national and international competitions. The all-weather aquatic facilities will also enable sustained training during the winter months.
Minister for Youth Services & Sports Satish Sharma, Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, MLA Lal Chowk Sheikh Ahsan Ahmed, MLA Hazratbal Salman Sagar, MLA Zadibal Tanvir Sadiq, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Secretary J&K Sports Council Tazayun Mukhtar Kawoosa, besides students, sportspersons and other concerned officers, were present on the occasion.
