Chandigarh: The famous DAV College, Sector 10 which has produced a number of eminent sportspersons is adding another feather to its cap by launching India's first outdoor synthetic handball court. The construction is under way and it is expected to be completed by February 28.
Confirming this to TOI, Ravinder Chaudhary, associate professor, department of physical education said, "It is India's first synthetic court. There are few indoor synthetic courts in our country but it will be the first outdoor court." Incidentally the current custodian of the Indian handball side Atul Kumar is a student of the college.
The total cost of the project is Rs 40 lakh, Chaudhary informed us. "We received the money through the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) scheme," Chaudhary added. RUSA is a centrally-sponsored scheme launched in 2013 for the development of higher educational institutions in India. Dr Raman Soni, coordinator, RUSA said "We work on infrastructural development in educational institutions across India and when the college authorities approached us for the handball synthetic court, we ensured it would be of international standard."
Chaudhary, who is also the vice-president of the Athletics Federation of India told the estimated cost can surpass the allotted amount, but the college is ready to bear the extra expenses.
"There are several advantages of having a turf. Firstly, it is an all-weather court and we won't be depending on the weather to conduct tournaments. Secondly, chances of injury would be lesser. And thirdly, there will be no need to mark the lines over and over again and with flood lights we can easily hold matches in the evenings," Chaudhary explained, adding they would soon have a boxing ring as well in the college premises.
The DAV handball players play on the hard court and coach Sumit Verma is confident that with the synthetic court their standard will touch new heights. "Hard courts are injury prone because they are slippery but the synthetic court will increase their speed automatically. We will be able to practise throughout the year. It would be a huge boost for the players," said Verma.
And the players are elated too. Khila Devi, an alumni of DAV College, who won the silver in the recently-concluded World University Championship held in Malaga, Spain said, "It is a surreal feeling that we are going to have a synthetic court and that too in Chandigarh. We used to practise on the soft and hard courts and after a couple of practice sessions we got injured but now it will not happen," said Khila.
The current DAV players, Pooja Kumari and Abhishek Chauhan believe the synthetic court would embolden more enthusiasts to take to handball. Sunil Kumar, secretary, Chandigarh Handball Association praised the DAV College authorities for the initiative. "Their efforts are laudable and this will go a long way in promoting the game and helping budding city players," Kumar said.
Dr B C Josan, the principal of DAV College, Sector 10 calls it a historic moment. "We have a rich history in churning out talent in different sports. With the synthetic court, I am sure our students will excel in handball too," said Josan.
