Kohima: KIRTI assessment tests commence

SAI NERC conducts archery assessment on Day 1

Morung Express News
Kohima | April 26

As part of the Khelo India Rising Talent Identification (KIRTI) programme, archery assessment was conducted on the first day at IG Stadium in Kohima on April 26.

The assessment is being conducted by the Department of Youth Resources and Sports (DYRS), Nagaland, in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India, North Eastern Regional Centre, Imphal (SAI, NERC) Imphal from April 26 to May 1.

Under the supervision of SAI coaches and experts, students from various schools in Kohima underwent a series of tests designed to evaluate their flexibility, strength and speed. The height, weight, sit and reach assessment was done in Test Station 1 while Test Station 2 covered vertical jump, broad jump, medicine ball, throw and sit-ups. 30m sprint and 4x10m shuttle run, 800m run (under 12) and 1600m run (above 12) were covered in Test Station 3. This was followed by an event-specific test and general endurance test.

As the name suggests, the assessment is being conducted to identify budding talent in the region. Through this, the SAI aims to establish “Bharat Benchmarks” for performance evaluation.

Hailed as an athlete-centric programme with transparent selection methodology based on Information Technology, data analytics based on Artificial Intelligence is being used to predict the sporting acumen in an aspiring athlete.

As per officials, grooming and nurturing the identified talents in different KISCEs and academies across the country will be covered in subsequent phases.

For the first phase, schools in Kohima in close proximity to the venue were reportedly invited, with 50 students per school as the requirement.

According to William Koso, High Performance Manager (HPM), Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE) Nagaland, the participation has been very encouraging and he expressed optimism that through such initiatives, the young talents would be identified and get due recognition.

Mention may be made that the KIRTI programme was launched by the Union Sports Minister, Anurag Singh Thakur earlier on March 12. Aimed at school children in the age group of nine to 18 years, KIRTI is focused on identifying sporting talents and untapped potential at the grassroot levels, and thereby shaping the future of Indian sports.

Speaking to The Morung Express, Laishram Samritya Singh, Assistant Director (Khelo India) SAI, NERC Imphal said that while the assessment is being carried out to identify talents, coaches from KISCEs were also present to handpick exceptional talents, if any.

On being asked of his observation of the sports scenario in Nagaland, Singh said that the State has infrastructure and well-maintained facilities and equipment to develop sports culture. However, he maintained that in terms of tapping potential, it has only “scratched the surface” and highlighted the need to identify, groom and nurture more budding talents. In this regard, he said that the KIRTI assessment tests are being conducted to help bridge the gap between talent and opportunity.

He also highlighted the need for more exposure to competitions, so that the sportspersons in the state can face their counterparts from other regions. Regular competition exposure like the recently held inter-Khelo India Centre tournament conducted by the DYRS Nagaland would improve their performance and boost motivation, he added. To achieve sporting excellence, he also emphasized the need for sports science staff like physiotherapists, strength and conditioning coaches, masseur, etc., and their expertise in helping sportspersons reach their full potential.

The KIRTI assessment tests for the other sports disciplines will be conducted on the dates specifies as follows:

Discipline       Date
  Athletics       April 27
  Wrestling     April 29
  Boxing          April 30
  Football       May 1

The assessments will commence at 9:00 am each day at the IG Stadium, Kohima.