Sports enthusiasts urge efficient use of new indoor stadium to harness region’s badminton, kabaddi talents

With the new indoor stadium scheduled to be inaugurated at Urwa, for badminton and kabaddi, sports enthusiasts urge government to harness sports talents at the national level.

While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is slated to inaugurate the indoor stadium for badminton and kabaddi at Urwa in the city on Friday afternoon, sports enthusiasts have urged the government to make better use of the facility to harness sports talents in the region at the national level.

The new indoor stadium, about a kilometre away from the District Mangala Stadium, was built by Mangaluru Smart City Limited (MSCL) at a cost of ₹33 crore.

The ground floor of the new stadium has six badminton courts. Mats can be rolled in these six badminton courts to convert them into three kabaddi courts. On the top floor, there are five badminton courts. Amenities have been provided for the athletes on both floors. Space has been provided in the building for the opening of some commercial outlets, said MSCL General Manager K.S. Arun Prabha. “All the work of the indoor stadium has been completed,” he said.

Deputy Director of Youth Empowerment and Sports, Pradeep D’Souza, has said that a decision has yet to be made on how the indoor stadium will be run. After the inauguration function, a meeting of the District Stadium Committee, headed by Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan, will be held in which the decision will be made, he said.

Physical Education Director of Government First Grade College in Uppinangady, Praveen Kumar, who has been training kabaddi players for a long time, has said that the indoor stadium meets the long-standing need for a proper indoor facility to play the sport during the monsoon season.

“This district has a long list of kabaddi players who have made a name at the national level. Presently, Sukesh Hegde and Prashant Hegde from Dakshina Kannada are in the national team. We are happy to have an indoor stadium for kabaddi. I hope this new stadium will realise the objective of having more players from the region in the national kabaddi team,” he said.

Activist and senior badminton player Benedict Fernandes has said that the state and national-level players had to file a series of petitions to the district administration to get slots for practice in the U.S. Mallya Indoor Stadium. Though the Mallya stadium is administered by the Department of Youth Services and Sports, members of a local club dominate in grabbing more slots.