Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Union minister of state for youth affairs and sports Raksha Khadse on Thursday visited the Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on the occasion of National Sports Day, commemorating the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand.
During the event, Khadse officially announced the renaming of the centre from Aurangabad NCoE to NCoE Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. She was accompanied by MP and former union minister Dr Bhagwat Karad, along with SAI officials Monika Ghuge and Sumesh Tarodekar. In a symbolic gesture under the Fit India Movement, the minister joined athletes and sports scientists in a structured fitness session that included warm-up drills, stretching, and strength training. She toured sports facilities and science labs, interacting with athletes and coaches about training methods. Highlighting the government’s focus on fitness, Khadse reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a “No Obesity India” and urged the corporate sector to support the centre’s growth. She also underlined the newly introduced Khelo Bharat Niti as a transformative step towards building a sporting culture from grassroots to elite levels. The NCoE in Sambhajinagar has so far produced 87 medal-winning athletes, including 32 international medals in the last two years, across boxing, weightlifting, fencing, archery, gymnastics, hockey, para-archery and para-fencing. Dr Karad lauded the centre as one of Maharashtra’s finest sporting facilities and a potential Olympic hub.