Kannur, Sunday 5 July 2009: The Kerala government has given final shape to a Rs 220 crore project to upgrade sports infrastructure to facilitate holding major events in the state, Sports Minister M Vijaya Kumar said here today. The project also aimed at promoting budding sport talent in Kerala and the government expected the support of the union Government and the Sports Authority of India, he told a press conference here.

Vijaya Kumar, who earlier chaired a meeting to set up a organising committee here to host basketball and wrestling events of the 35th National Games, assured that steps would be taken to tap the ‘tremendous sporting potential’ in Kerala, which will host the 2010 sporting extravaganza.

It has been decided to avail services of foreign coaches in addition to domestic coaches to impart training to sportspersons in various disciplines, Vijaya Kumar said. Works on a state-of-the-art sports complex and an indoor stadium here would commence shortly, he said.