Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena inaugurated Delhi’s first Centre of Excellence in sports on Thursday. The centre, located in Dwarka’s Sector 8, has been developed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and focuses on boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, and taekwondo.
Spanning 23.3 acres, the complex offers both indoor and outdoor facilities. The indoor spaces include a gym, as well as dedicated areas for boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, taekwondo, table tennis, yoga, and aerobics. Outdoors, there are six synthetic turf courts for lawn tennis, six badminton courts, and four courts each for basketball, netball, and volleyball, alongside four pickleball courts.
In addition to these, the complex features an open-air gym, a jogging and walking track, and a 50-meter Olympic-sized swimming pool. Future plans include the construction of a combined football and hockey ground, a synthetic athletic track, a skating rink, a speed track, and a children’s park, according to DDA officials.
The centre also includes a conference hall with modern internet and audiovisual facilities, seating 100 people, as well as a cafeteria, a restaurant, and banqueting services.
Officials mentioned that professional coaching will be offered in all sports, with a special focus on the Centres of Excellence in boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, and taekwondo.
“The Fit India movement has inspired children from even remote parts of the country to engage in various sports,” said Saxena.
DDA is also developing three additional Centres of Excellence: one for aquatics at Rohini Sector 33, another for tennis and shooting at Dwarka Sector 19, and a third for football and hockey at Dwarka Sector 23. Currently, DDA manages 17 sports complexes and three golf courses across the city.
