Shillong, July 4: Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Shakliar Warjri has announced the launch of the Super Elite Programme for athlete development.
Nine athletes with high potential will be trained with International coaches and a dedicated development programme with the aim of competing at national and international level.
Speaking to reporters, Warjri said, “The athletes will be trained for the next three years and we hope they will be able to compete at the national and international level and even Olympics as well.”
He said that athletes were chosen from among the over 14,500 athletes during the tests conducted in the 12 districts of the state.
With the development of new infrastructure, and the various initiatives under the Sports Department, the objective is to begin grooming high potential athletes to achieve the final goal of Olympic medals.
These athletes have been selected through a yearlong process, which has been implemented by the Meghalaya State Olympic Association under the supervision of Edge10, an Australian company led by Ian Campbell, a reputed Olympian.
The athletes, both boys and girls from the Garo and Khasi regions of the state, will be under the direct care of the MSOA and the Department, where their schooling, stay/food, and training will be taken care of.
Campbell will continue to oversee their performance over the 3 years of the programme, facilitated by sport specific expert coaches and an analytics team. The athletes will be based in Shillong and will further participate in events, gradually aspiring towards international events.
