Dakshina Kannada dist to have sports hostel for girls soon

Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada district will soon have a dedicated sports hostel for girls who are studying up to the Xth standard. It is coming up close to Mangala Stadium, and is likely to be completed within three or four months.
Ravi Y Nayak, assistant director, youth empowerment and sports, Dakshina Kannada, said the the hostel will be built at a total cost of Rs 1.5 crore.
It was announced during the last budget, that 10 such sports hostels, exclusively for girls, will come up in 10 districts in the state, including in Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada. The hostel will accommodate 50 inmates.
Nayak added that currently both boys and girls are accommodated in the boys’ hostel. There are a total 27 sports students, including six girls, who stay in the hostel. They study in various schools in the city, and train for sports, for four hours a day. The hostel provides free food, accommodation, and other sports facilities, such as sports gear and training.
“Once the hostel project is completed, all the girls accommodated in the boys’ hostel will be shifted to the new facility,” said Nayak. He added that a camp to select more girls from the region will commence on Monday. “This year we are planning to recruit more budding girl athletes during selection, as there will be a facility available where they can stay.”
Mangalore City South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath said that the dedicated hostel is coming up with an intention to encourage girl athletes to excel in sports.
“A girl or boy in a taluk or village in Dakshina Kannada does not get ample facilities, that are required for an athlete. However, they will get more opportunities if they move to the city limits, where the government provides facilities free of cost, to hone their sports skills. The new facilities will help a lot of athletes from Dakshina Kannada and neighbouring districts,” he said.