THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT 20: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said India is set to become one of the top ten performing countries in the world in the field of sports.

Inaugurating the upgraded SAI Golf Course at Kowdiar, here on Sunday, the Minister emphasized the significance of the Trivandrum Golf Club as a cherished community and a symbol of sporting excellence.

Stating that Olympics 2036 in India will nurture talent in the country, he stressed that healthy people will make a healthy society, healthy society will be a wealthy society. Sports will make people physically, mentally, and culturally fit. Keeping this in mind, we work out from the district level through the Khelo India programme, he added.

The Minister expressed immense pride in the establishment of the SAI National Golf Academy, the first of its kind in Kerala. The National Golf Academy is equipped with world-class facilities such as a nine-hole international-standard golf course, state-of-the-art fitness centre and modern recreational amenities.

The minister visited and examined the upgraded Golf Course after inauguration, and further explored the course by playing golf. The upgraded Golf Course was established with the approval of the Ministry of Tourism in line with the Government of India’s commitment to enhancing sporting infrastructure, on March 31, 2017.

An allocation of Rs. 9.27 crore was made to SAI’s Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE), and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has completed this ambitious project, further elevating the club’s standards to meet international benchmarks.

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated international athletes of SAI, Thiruvananthapuram, as part of the event. Suresh Gopi, Minister of State for Tourism & Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, presided over the function. While addressing the audience, the Minister said the Golf club and Tennis club of Trivandrum have brought real talents from the lowest strata of society.

Kerala Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan, Union Additional Secretary Suman Billa Ministry of Tourism, and S.N. Raghuchandran Nair, Secretary, SAI TGC attended the event.