A new sports hub in Visakhapatnam with a training academy for over 15 sports

Vishwanadh Sports Club, the new sports hub in Visakhapatnam, has given a facelift to the Port Stadium with a training academy for over 15 sports.

A go-karting track, mini golf course, renovated basketball and badminton courts, flood lights on the ground, bowling alley, snow world and professional training academies for about 15 sports: this new club in the heart of Visakhapatnam is the latest sports hub.

Dotted with greenery, walking tracks, sports grounds and indoor stadiums, the Visakhapatnam Port Trust Diamond Jubilee Stadium (Port Stadium) at Akkayyapalem was inaugurated in 1993 and has been synonymous with several sporting events conducted in the city.

After nearly three decades, the Port Stadium is in the process of getting a facelift with several added features. City-based Vishwanadh Sports Club (VSC) has adopted the stadium on a 10-year-lease for nurturing sports talent in Andhra Pradesh at the grassroots level by upgrading and building infrastructure and collaborating with leading coaching academies.

The infrastructure upgradation is being done at the cost of ₹70 crore. This includes a 400-metre go-karting track coming up near the East gate of the Port Stadium, a snow world and water park in a two-acre area behind the basketball court, an amphitheatre, children’s park and bowling alley, among others. The civil works have already begun and are expected to be completed in six months.

“Our objective is to create a sports hub which will not only help unearth talent but create a sports culture in the city as well as the State. We are working towards developing highest levels of facilities in the stadium,” says Narendra Kumar, director of Vishwanadh Sports Club.

To kick-start the club activities and to provide a peek into the training academies, Vishwanadh Sports Club is conducting a summer camp starting from May 1 with over 30 activities spanning over a period of six weeks.

The activities include cricket, badminton, volleyball, hockey, athletics, basketball, archery, karate, rifle shooting, taekwondo, fencing, painting, dance, music, yoga, robotics, among others. The camp is open for participants in the age group of six to 18 years.