PUNE With the gymnasts’ centre aka ‘Khelo India centre’ run by the Muktangan English school in Parvati since 1995 to be temporarily shuttered, the 22 gymnasts who have been training there and their parents are a worried lot.
The gymnasts’ centre has been running since 1995 and was converted into the small Khelo India Centre in 2020 with funding provided by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). The parents of the 22-odd gymnasts (13 girls and nine boys) currently practising at the centre are concerned that the centre’s closure will impact the training of their wards. The parents have even written a letter to BJP MP Girish Bapat voicing their concerns over the closure of the centre.
Ashwini Durge, a parent whose son trains at the centre, said, “All parents are concerned because if the centre is shut, all the gymnasts will not get a training facility in the middle of the city. Other training facilities are far from the centre of the city. Many athletes come from economically weaker backgrounds and hence cannot afford the higher fees of private gymnastics coaching. The school should not even shut the centre on a temporary basis.”
However, Anand Kulkarni, Muktangan school committee member, said, “The centre is still running and we have sent a letter to the SAI regarding our plans about the proposed new building. The process is yet to start and we have never told the parents that the centre is shutting down. It will only be closed temporarily. We will have the gymnasts’ centre in our new building and there is a possibility that the small Khelo India Centre will again receive funding from the SAI. Currently however, everything is on paper.”
{{/usCountry}}However, Anand Kulkarni, Muktangan school committee member, said, “The centre is still running and we have sent a letter to the SAI regarding our plans about the proposed new building. The process is yet to start and we have never told the parents that the centre is shutting down. It will only be closed temporarily. We will have the gymnasts’ centre in our new building and there is a possibility that the small Khelo India Centre will again receive funding from the SAI. Currently however, everything is on paper.”
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