P T Usha's dream
becomes a reality
Sprint queen P T Usha's long-cherished dream of setting up a centre of excellence for
upcoming sports persons became a reality on Wednesday, with Sports Minister Uma Bharti opening the Usha School of Athletics at Koyilandi, near Kozhikode, in Kerala.
Showering encomiums on the former champion athlete, Bharti said she considered Usha a role model for women in
the 21st century.
Though Usha had done the country proud, she said the government has so
far not been able to reciprocate her services.
Veteran film actor and Congress leader Sunil Dutt was
also present on the occasion.
The Usha School, with the professed objective of "making
the country a treasure house of world class athletes," will have an international curriculum and admit students from
all parts of the world with no discrimination on the basis of
sex, race, colour, caste, language or religion.
The main objective of the school is to produce an Indian
medal winner by the 2008 Olympic Games. The school would
promote and develop sports and impart scientific and
systematic training to youngsters.
It's objectives also include setting up of a research
centre and conducting various sports events. The school would be
gradually upgraded as an institution with the status of an
autonomous university.
Quality school education would be provided to students
along with sports training that would enable youngsters take up
sports as a professional career.
Speaking on the occasion, Usha said the school had been
her dream project ever since she failed to win a medal at the
1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she missed the bronze by 1/100th of a second.
She said the school would train the talented right from
the word go and the ultimate aim of each athlete would be to
win a gold, not bronze or silver.
"The dream alone will not do; we will have to work
jointly to transform it into a reality," the ace
athlete said, adding the Indian Olympic Association and Amateur Athletic
Federation would be helping in her efforts.
Also read
P T Usha - the golden girl
'I missed an Olympic medal, now I want to ensure that one of my students wins one'
