Assam will get a high-performance satellite sports centre in Guwahati soon as the state government has partnered with a private entity for setting it up, marking a major step towards building a structured elite sports ecosystem in Assam and the North East region as a whole.

The centre will anchor high-performance initiatives across seven priority sports, including athletics, archery, taekwondo, table tennis, lawn tennis, chess and swimming with focused emphasis on athlete identification, coaching development and long-term performance pathways aligned with India’s Olympic ambitions, a release said on Thursday.

The state government’s Directorate of Sports and Youth Welfare has partnered with the JSW Group-founded Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) to set up the centre. The programmes are designed not only to identify promising athletes, but also build a strong, self-sustaining coaching ecosystem within the state, the release added.

Speaking on the initiative, Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Nandita Gorlosa said, “Assam has no shortage of talent, particularly in rural and tribal regions. Through this partnership with the Inspire Institute of Sport, we are bringing global coaching expertise and high-performance systems into the state, while strengthening our own infrastructure and outreach.”

“This collaboration will create clear, structured pathways for athletes and coaches to progress to national and international competitions, and position Assam as a high-performance sports hub in the North-East, contributing to India’s Olympic journey,” she added.

The athletics programme will begin with a structured Assam State Coaches Orientation and Development initiative, combining on-ground and hybrid learning formats to upskill district-level coaches under internationally recognised World Athletics frameworks, supported by senior IIS experts.

This will be followed by a focused talent identification programme aimed at identifying and developing young athletic talent across the state.

Taekwondo and Archery programmes at the Guwahati centre will further strengthen Assam’s high-performance ecosystem with talent identification camps and advanced masterclasses bringing together athletes and coaches from across the North-East under global and Olympic-level expertise, the release said.

Manisha Malhotra, president of IIS, said, “At the Inspire Institute of Sport, our focus is on advancing excellence through structured, high-performance systems. In collaboration with DSYW Assam, we are bringing Olympic-level coaching expertise, cutting-edge sports science and proven development frameworks into the state.”

With programmes being implemented across Guwahati and other locations in Assam over the coming months, the satellite centre is expected to play a crucial role in elevating the state’s sporting identity, strengthening regional talent pipelines and contributing meaningfully to India’s Olympic future.

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