Srinagar ::In a major boost to the sports ecosystem of Jammu and Kashmir, the Government of India has approved the establishment of the Union Territory’s first National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Sports, to be developed in Kashmir.
The proposed Centre marks a transformative step towards positioning Jammu and Kashmir as a premier destination for high-altitude sports, elite athlete development, advanced sports science, and world-class training infrastructure.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya for approving the landmark project, describing it as a new era of sporting opportunity for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir.
“This state-of-the-art Centre will bring world-class infrastructure and elite coaching to our Union Territory, helping train the next generation of Olympic and international champions,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
The approved NCOE is envisioned as a premier national hub for high-altitude sports and multiple athletic disciplines, while also serving as a platform for skilling thousands of local youth. The Centre is expected to significantly strengthen J&K’s sports development architecture by integrating training, talent identification, sports science, performance enhancement, rehabilitation, residential facilities, and competition infrastructure within a single advanced campus.
The campus will include athletics tracks, indoor courts, football turf, hockey turfs, kabaddi and kho-kho courts, a shooting range, swimming pool, taekwondo hall, sports skilling centres, an integrated strength and conditioning and rehabilitation complex, hostels, a sports science centre, and a sports medicine centre.
The establishment of the NCOE is expected to significantly enhance Jammu and Kashmir’s capacity to produce athletes of national and international standing. For the first time, the Union Territory will have access to an integrated, national-standard institutional platform where promising athletes can train under scientific conditions with the support of modern infrastructure and specialised performance services.
The Centre is particularly significant for Jammu and Kashmir due to the region’s strategic suitability for high-altitude training, which offers proven advantages in improving endurance, stamina, and athletic performance across disciplines. Once operational, the NCOE is expected to attract athletes from within and outside J&K for training camps, coaching programmes, and national-level competitions.
Beyond competitive sports, the project is also expected to create broader developmental benefits by promoting discipline, aspiration, and skill development among youth. It will open career pathways not only for athletes but also for coaches, trainers, technical officials, physiotherapists, sports science professionals, fitness experts, and support staff.
The Centre has already undergone preliminary feasibility assessment, which found the proposed location suitable for development of a major sports training facility. Availability of a large tract of government land provides the scale required for a national-standard integrated campus.
The proposal for the NCOE was submitted during the April 2026 Chintan Shivir held at SKICC, Srinagar, and was taken forward under the guidance of Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, who heads the Apex Committee for Centrally Sponsored Schemes. The proposal was led by Commissioner Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary.
For coordinated facilitation of the next stages of the project, including inspections, inter-departmental coordination, surveys, and DPR-related processes, Anshul Garg, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, has been designated as the Nodal Officer.
The sanction of J&K’s first NCOE is being seen as a defining milestone in the Union Territory’s sporting journey, with the region poised to emerge as a major centre of excellence capable of producing future Olympic, international, and national champions.
