New NCA Facility to Support Olympic Athletes Alongside Indian Cricketers

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been supporting many other sports besides cricket in India. Meanwhile, the BCCI has made a big decision for the athletes participating in the Olympics. The BCCI is going to unveil a new National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru next month. This NCA will have many new facilities for the players. This NCA will be available to Indian athletes going to the Olympics apart from Indian cricketers. BCCI Secretary Jai Shah revealed that the new facility will be available to Neeraj Chopra and other Olympic players.

The new NCA is expected to be operational from next month and is believed to have state-of-the-art facilities. As Jai Shah had earlier revealed, the new facility will also have three international-size grounds and 100 pitches, including 45 indoor ones. The new facility will also have an Olympic-size swimming pool and a modern rehab centre for Choti athletes.

Jai Shah confirmed that the new NCA will be available to Olympic athletes. Many Indian athletes, including Neeraj Chopra, have previously preferred foreign coaches and training centers to prepare for international tournaments. Still, if the BCCI opens the doors of the NCA for them, they will benefit greatly.

Jay Shah also spoke about the need for a new National Cricket Academy and said that it is unfortunate for the world's number one cricket team to run the previous facilities from the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Jai Shah, “After taking over as secretary in October 2019, it took a lot of time to organize the IPL due to the pandemic. The office was closed for two years. When we got the second term in 2022, we decided that we have to take this project forward. Its foundation was laid in my first term.”

He further said, “We wanted to make the best use of whatever was available. We got that land in 2008 and I don't know why the people who came to this position before me did not use it. I am fortunate that it was in my destiny to take the academy forward. It was unfortunate that we had to run the National Cricket Academy (NCA) from Chinnaswamy Stadium. We are No. 1 in finance, No. 1 in marketing and we are No. 1 in cricket as well. If you look at the rankings, we are No. 1 in two formats and No. 2 in one format. Earlier we were No. 1 in all three formats.”