Madikeri:

Ashwini Sports Foundation, started by the former India sprint queen, Ashwini Nachappa, to promote sports three years ago, will be formally launched at the Karumbaiah’s Academy for Learning and Sports (KALS) school at 4 p.m. in Gonicoppa on April 17.

Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs M.S. Gill, will launch the programme at a simple function at the KALS, Ms. Nachappa, who had represented India in Olympics, Asian Games and other international competitions, told The Hindu on Tuesday.

KALS, an ICSE-affiliated institution, is run by Ms. Nachappa and her sports-promoter husband, Maneyapanda Datta Karumbaiah. “We want to produce champions in all disciplines of sports,” she said. The foundation tied-up with the Indian Golf Union (IGU) to train the wards from the KALS in a junior programme at the Coorg Golf Links (CGL) located in Bittangala, near Virajpet town a year and halfs ago. About seven of them had picked up the game to such an extent that they had started taking part in the tournaments, Ms. Nachappa added.

An athletic development programme was being organised at the KALS involving more than 50 students drawn from all schools in the district. It would also involve 25 students from the Parikrma Humanity Foundation in the days to come, she said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Jeevan Chinnappa / April 14th, 2010