New Delhi, India, April 4, 2023: The President of the Indian Olympic Association, PT Usha, has stated that she will establish an Athletics Academy to produce more international athletes for India.
The Queen of Indian track and field was felicitated on Sunday, April 3 by the Andhra Pradesh Athletic Association in Vijayawada.
Speaking on the occasion, PT Usha, 58, said establishing an Athletics Academy was one of her priorities and one of the outstanding concerns of the Indian Olympic Association.
The four-time Asian Games gold medallist revealed that the number of unresolved issues had decreased from 251 to 80 since she assumed the mantle of IOA President four months ago.
“We are trying to address all the issues and bring down the number of pending cases. We have constituted a committee exclusively to deal with all these issues and we will sort them out soon,” Usha said.
The Olympian urged parents to recognise the talent in children and encourage them. “I started my athletics journey at the age of 13 when I used to compete with Under-16s,” she added.
At the age of 20, Usha was the first Indian sportswoman to enter an Olympic final – beaten in a photo-finish for the bronze medal in the 400m hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. At the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, Usha won gold medals in the 200 metres, 400m, 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay events.
