VIJAYANAGAR: Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), the flagship High Performance Training Centre set up by the JSW Group in Bellary, Karnataka, celebrated its 2nd year anniversary on the eve of Independence Day and staked its claim among the preferred training destinations for Indian athletes aiming for Olympic glory.
Since being inaugurated by triple Olympic Gold medalist Late Shri Balbir Singh Sr. on August 15, 2018, IIS has welcomed over 400 athletes from across India and abroad who have benefitted from the world class training environment, technical infrastructure and sports science expertise at the institute.
After the lockdown enforced in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, strict operating procedures and protocols have ensured athlete safety within the 42-acre campus and allowed the institute to be among the few facilities in India where athletes have been able to continue with uninterrupted training. With domestic travel having restarted and given the limited opportunities to train and compete in India, IIS has also become a destination of choice for some of India’s top Olympic-bound athletes and probables.
Top athletes including wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Jitender Kinha, Gourav Baliyan and Pooja Dhanda and boxers Vikas Krishan Yadav and Satish Kumar have made the institute their base as they work on their fitness and prepare for the return of competitions and national camps. Indian national football team and Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri and kabaddi star Vikash Kandola have also had extended training stints at the facility since the easing of restrictions.
Speaking on the occasion, Parth Jindal, founder of IIS, said: “The vision behind establishing IIS was to provide Indian athletes with a truly ‘world-class’ training environment, infrastructure and technical expertise that would help them realise their potential and become world beaters. Today, I am extremely proud of the impact we have been able to make over these past two years and confident that this movement has well and truly garnered momentum.”
Having taken a range of measures to ensure a secure and sanitized campus, IIS has enabled athletes to focus on continuing training in a secure training environment, albeit with certain restrictions. Those away from the institute have been helped with guidance on training, nutrition and on aspects of mental health, given the long duration away from sport.
Speaking on his experience of training here, Olympic-bound wrestler Bajrang Punia said, “Training at IIS is extremely beneficial because every facility that an athlete needs to train is available here. While I was being able to do my own training in Sonipat, the access to the gym, coaches and trainers here has helped me stay on course in terms of my preparations for Tokyo.”
The institute has also developed a Standard Operating Procedure in line with local COVID-19 regulations to allow elite Indian athletes and professional teams to train at IIS, CEO Rushdee Warley informed. “While we continue towards our aim of preparing our junior athletes with an eye on Paris ‘24 and Los Angeles ’28, we believe we are well positioned to be a safe and viable training centre for any Indian athlete who wishes to train here ahead of Tokyo2020,” Warley said.
Accredited as a Khelo India Talent Development Centre and the only Indian institute to be a part of the Association of Sports Institutes in Asia (ASIA), IIS is a privately-funded High Performance Training Centre that trains talented young athletes scouted from all across the country in the four Olympic disciplines of wrestling, boxing, judo and athletics, while also housing the Bengaluru FC youth academy.
Athletes from IIS have so far won 317 medals at national and international competitions and the institute has leveraged its network of domestic and international partners to focus on holistic development of athletes and upskilling staff during the absence of sporting competition. The Institute is High Performance partner to the Boxing Federation of India and the National Rifle Association of India, and also has knowledge partnerships with Australian Strength & Conditioning Association, University of Birmingham, UK and the University of Tsukuba, Japan.
