IIT Madras inaugurates state-of-the-art indoor sports complex | Education
Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) inaugurated the ‘Sitara Indoor Sports Complex’ on November 4, 2024.
The new indoor sports complex houses four state-of-the-art badminton courts, a gallery on the mezzanine floor, and multiple table tennis courts besides an open tennis court on the terrace.
The contribution of an anonymous donor who is an alumnus of IIT Madras resulted in the inauguration of the sports facility, informed the institute.
The facility supplements the current sports facilities, which include basketball, volleyball, football and cricket grounds besides the Gymkhana Sports Complex and the Swimming Pool, among other sports facilities.
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The sports facility was inaugurated in the presence of Table Tennis Champion Mr. Sharath Kamal, Somdev Devvarman, Davis Cup Player (Tennis), Manisha Ramadoss, Bronze medallist at the Paralympic Badminton Championship, Paris 2024, Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, and Shankar V, Chairperson, IIT Madras Alumni Charitable Trust.
“The day is not far off when IIT Madras will have an Olympian as an alumnus. Five National Champions have been admitted under the ‘Sports Excellence Admission’ of IIT Madras, and sure we will be admitting many more sportspersons in this category. I would like to see this facility completely full all evenings. We will bring national champions and others with exceptional skills so that IIT Madras students get the opportunity to play with the best and improve their standards,” said Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras.
IIT Madras is the first IIT in the country to introduce admissions for sportspersons in its undergraduate programmes. The Institute introduced the ‘Sports Excellence Admission’ (SEA) from the current academic year of 2024-25.
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This Centre aims to take the lead in creating a support infrastructure for Sports Tech for various players in India by creating awareness about opportunities in this space, showcasing some products and applications, enabling networking opportunities for various players and bringing both public and private players under one roof to enable collaboration opportunities, mentioned the press release.
“IIT Madras has always recognized the importance of physical exercise and sports in achieving academic excellence. The Institute has been in constant pursuit to provide all-round sports facilities for our students. We are truly grateful to the alumni community that stepped forward to support us in this venture. This generous gesture will take the sporting achievements of the institute to a whole new level, and through the sports-related research that we do we also hope to influence the sporting fortunes of the country,” said Prof Ashwin Mahalingam, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), thanking the anonymous alumnus donor for the contribution.
“We are immensely grateful for the generous contribution from our esteemed alumnus, which has enabled us to create this state-of-the-art sports complex for our students. At IIT Madras, we believe in nurturing not only academic excellence but also the physical and mental well-being of our students. This sports facility is a testament to the unwavering support of our alumni, who continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the institute’s holistic development,” said Kaviraj Nair, CEO, Office of Institutional Advancement, IIT Madras.
