Gandhinagar (Gujarat)[India], December 11 (ANI): India's Kurash contingent is receiving a significant push on the road to the 2026 Asian Games via the ongoing 25-day Senior National Coaching Camp at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Regional Centre in Gandhinagar. The 25-day camp, which started on November 21, has been sanctioned under SAI's Target Asian Games Group (TAGG) scheme.

A total of 52 members, including 48 athletes and four coaches, are a part of the camp. They are supported with Rs 1.12 crore under the Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSFs) scheme.

'Heartfelt thanks to the Government of India and SAI for keeping the sport of Kurash on priority and including it in TAGG. Our office-bearers at the Kurash association have worked day and night to include this game in the SAI scheme,' mentioned Shakti Singh, one of the coaches at the camp.

The key missions of the camp in SAI Gandhinagar include ensuring that the athletes get full access to training facilities, coaching and sports science support, equipment and recovery inputs, as well as seamless preparation for both the men's and women's squads in the build-up to Asiad 2026, scheduled between September 19 and October 4, next year.

Despite the derecognition of the National Sports Federation (NSF) for Kurash by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, SAI is ensuring India's Kurash athletes continue their high-performance training. The national coaching camp will further identify the cream of talent who will go through exposure opportunities abroad.

Before this camp in Gandhinagar, open national selection trials were conducted in SAI Bhopal from September 17 to September 19, overseen entirely by the Kurash Organising Committee of SAI. These trials followed international norms, anti-doping compliance and videography-based scoring and evaluation.

Former wrestler and two-time World Championships medallist Jyoti Lohiya, currently one of the coaches at the camp, added, 'SAI has made our game progressive by giving us this opportunity. Here in SAI Gandhinagar, the players are receiving all the facilities, from diet and medicine to therapy, physiotherapy and massage. The quality of training has also been excellent, and the athletes have really grown over these weeks. They are confident of getting medals from the upcoming competitions.'(ANI)