Kodagu should be officially declared a sports district.

Kodagu district is the most suitable place for sports training due to its climate and geographical environment. The talents born from this soil have increased the country's fame at the global level. Kodagu athletes have shown achievements in almost all sports.

Number of Olympians

Kodagu has so far given a total of 19 Olympians to the country. Of these, 11 are in hockey and 8 in other sports. Vishu Kuttappa has joined as the 19th Olympian as a boxing coach.

A total of 11 Olympians have been in hockey, including M.P. Ganesh, B.P. Govinda, M.A.A. Somaiah, B.K. Subramani, C.S. Poonachha, A.B. Subbaiah, Nikin Thimmaiah, S.K. Uthappa, V.R. Raghunath, S.V. Sunil and Arjun Halappa

Other sports include Ashwini Nachappa, Ashwini Ponnappa, M.R. Poovamma, C.C. Machaya, Rohan Bopanna, G.G. Pramila, Ganapathi in sailing and Vishu Kuttappa in boxing.

Kodagu is proud to be the land of the gods that has given the country 19 Olympians, more than 100 international players and more than 200 national players who have represented the Karnataka team, including the Army.

Historic achievement: When India won the Hockey World Cup for the first time 50 years ago, B.P. Govinda and Paikera Kalaiah from Kodagu represented the team.

Diverse Sports: Apart from hockey, there are many achievers like shuttle badminton (e.g. Diya), world champion in squash Joshna Chinappa and Kelapanda Ganapathy who represented sailing in the Olympics.

Padma Shri awardees

One of the highest civilian awards of the country, Padma Shri awardees Dr. Mollera P. Ganesh, Kuttanda Joshna Chinappa and Machanda Rohan Bopanna have brought glory to Kodagu. Apart from this, there are many sportspersons from Kodagu who have won the Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award and Lifetime Achievement Award, Ekalavya Award.

Infrastructure and Government Needs

The following facilities are urgently needed to develop the sports talents of the district.

Stadiums: Well-equipped indoor stadiums and international standard *synthetic turf (Synthetic Turf) systems for hockey should be provided.

Strengthening of Government Schools: Government schools should be upgraded in terms of sports and sports should be encouraged from the grassroots level i.e. in every village.

Sports Equipment: The government should provide sports equipment to economically backward but talented athletes and encourage them.

Training Centers: Organizations like SAI (SI) and DYSS (DYSS) should focus on the talents of the district.

All India Tournament and Four Nation International Tournament in Hockey should be held in Kodagu, that is, only Kodagu Hockey has a future.

Masters Cup (Vendita)

To keep all sports alive, tournaments like Masters Cup should be organized every year for men, women and younger boys.

Army Recruitment and Job Opportunities

Recruitment Camp: Since the youth of Kodagu are very interested in serving the country, the district should conduct an army recruitment camp every year without fail. Considering this as an important goal, the youth of Kodagu should get more opportunities in the Indian Army.

Family Hockey and Community Encouragement

The family hockey tournaments of Kodagu have already created Guinness, World Book of Records, World Records and Limca records. The sport should be accessible to all children.

Kodagu district has the distinction of having produced the highest number of Olympians in the state of Karnataka, and providing a suitable platform for the talents here should be the government's priority.

What is the contribution

Kodagu has 19 Olympic players, international and national players, what contribution have they made to Kodagu? It is an important question to ask them. Like them, they also need encouragement to bring the younger generation up from the grassroots.

Kodagu should be declared a sports district

Kodagu, despite being a small district, has given many Olympians to the country. Therefore, Kodagu should be considered for declaring as a sports district. International players in any sport should work hard to bring young players to the mainstream. For this, summer camps should be organized in their hometowns. The badminton indoor stadium in Virajpet, the ground of the men's compound where the 1975 World Cup winners played, should be our priority.

The Kodagu District Magistrate, the two MLAs from Kodagu, the MPs, sportsmen and sports fans should submit a proposal to consider Kodagu as a "sports hub". This is very necessary in today's times. Let us all work together for this.

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