Here we come!

Here we come!

The Jain Academy of Sporting Excellence is ready with its world-class facilities
The Hindu

Even as Bangalore and its long-suffering citizens are crying themselves hoarse about lack of infrastructure — be it civic or basic — tucked 45 km away on Kanakapura Road is a sporting marvel', in the form of Jain Academy of Sporting Excellence (JASE).

The 180-acre Jain International Residential School (JIRS) that sprung up five years ago thanks to the vision and mission of its enterprising chairman, Chenraj Jain, today could well become a monument of tomorrow.

That piece of dry land which now houses sporting facilities of international standards — be it the six flexi tennis courts, the synthetic basketball courts, the football field, the picturesque cricket ground or the dorms and concrete structures that house the students and the administrative staff — all have a touch of ethnicity. Added to this is the newly constructed Sprintoor, which houses the indoor facilities that will be inaugurated on January 7, 2006.

Brainchild

JASE, comprising the 21 institutions that come under the Jain Group of Institutions banner, is the brainchild Mr. Chenraj Jain, who expounds passionately on his Rs. 50-crore project to bring Olympic and international standards (and glory) to the country in sports. "Good physique provides for greater mental ability," believes Mr. Jain. His objective is "to create a wholesome individual who can take on the world is what the endeavour is aimed at".

Standing to benefit from such awesome facilities is a farrago of students of the institution as well as sportspersons in general. "We create and provide the basic amenities for individuals and teams alike to avail themselves of the facilities and excel themselves," is how Wing Commander A.K. Jha, Executive Director of JASE, puts it. "We are the `feeders' to the nation as after (making use of) world-class facilities at home, the sportspersons who emerge from here will be able to perform on par on the global stage."



Chenraj Jain Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

The indoor facilities at JASE include the central hall with an international class wooden basketball court. MFMA hard Maple sports flooring system which can accommodate four badminton courts (synthetic/portable), twin fibre glass squash courts (McWil Fibersin), a four-lane AMF bowling alley, billiard/snooker hall with four international standard tables and two pool tables with Gerflor Teraflex flooring, a table tennis hall with 18 tables, an aerobics centre, a multi-gym with cardio fitness centre, a hydro-therapy section (with six jacuzzis, six steam and four saunas), four classrooms to conduct and facilitate audio-visual programmes for sports students and a multi-purpose stage with a seating capacity of about 300 besides 36 suites to accommodate international coaches, administrative offices and a VIP lounge.

Sports Director Archana Vishwanath, a former India No. 2 in table tennis, vouches for the facilities on offer. "When we played ... there was a long wait for the table; even winners had to wait for their turn. Today there are six tables in the main hall and 18 in the practice section: all with international standards and Teraflex flooring, which was a dream in our day. Corporates and even many associations have been coming down to see and avail themselves of the facilities that are here but we have turned down their requests. We are definitely not looking at any commercial use, but we will have to sustain the maintenance costs." The cricket ground though has already witnessed a few international matches besides State and national level tournaments.

"Once the accommodation and suites at the indoor stadium are ready to use, then we will open the doors to more and more cricket and national-level events," informs Wing Commander Jha.

Besides the infrastructure, another major boost for the sportspersons coming to this centre for sporting ventures is the Sports medicine Cell, an in-house facility for school children. Ms. Melfin, the physiotherapist who joined the institution just a fortnight ago, is clearly pleased with the facilities and is busy assessing the facilities available at the Academy.

"This has been a dream fulfilled, and the intellectually and physically richer future citizen of our country will make us proud," sums up Mr. Jain.