Shiva Keshawan sets his sights on building winter sports academy in India

What's the story?

It has often been argued that India lacks a definite sports culture outside the cricket ecosystem. However, for the past few years, the medals that India have won in disciplines like badminton, tennis, chess, boxing and wrestling among others are slowly bridging the gap between cricket and other sports.

Every now and then, those in authority are coming up with proposals to help Indian sports grow. The latest of such proposals has been made by Luge racer Shiva Keshavan, who is in talks with a 'couple of state governments' over establishing winter sports academy in India.

In case you didn't know.

Shiva Keshavan is the ever first Indian to represent the country in Luge at the Winter Olympics. The six-time Olympian set a new Asian speed record at 134.3 km/h and thereby won gold medal in Asia Cup 2011 at Nagano in Japan.

Heart of the matter

Giving insights into what his academy aims at, Keshavan told PTI,

"My idea is to have a residential complex with all the multi-sports facilities and since (it will be) in the mountains, we will have access to the ski area, ice hockey."

It can be built over time. So, I'm speaking to a couple of state governments to give a little bit of land or get some sponsors (involved in it)."

On being asked if he believes India stand any medal chances at the Winter Olympics, he said,

"100 percent. I could have won a medal if I had a coach few years before, by the end of it I was (just) 6/10th of a second behind. It is possible"

What's next?

India at present does not have any sports federation, which recognizes winter sports. But with Keshavan's vision of getting India involved in winter sports as much as it is into the other categories, we could see a federation for winter sports soon.