Amongst the recipients of the scholarship programs are some of the country's most promising athletes, representing the nation in various national and international level competitions. While ace Golfer Chikkarangappa S and Paralympic Swimming Champion Sharath Gayakwad are amongst the chosen five, set to be a part of the ACE Management Programme, Junior Davis Cupper Nikshep BR and National Badminton Champion Kidambi Srikanth will be a part of the PACE Scholarships programme.
Speaking about the various levels of support, GoSports Foundation Managing Trustee Nandan Kamath said, "The scholarship programmes of GoSports Foundation are customised to offer high-impact athlete specific interventions. While the top senior athletes receive mentorship from senior sportspersons, access to scientific expertise, performance and injury management, and allied professional services, the junior athletes receive monetary support in order to cover certain critical expenses. Through the course of the year, GoSports Foundation will aim to make valuable contributions to each of the athletes' sporting journeys."
World number 30 badminton player Kidambi Srikanth, who is currently spearheading the Indian challenge at the Indian Open Grand Prix Event in Lucknow, said, "I'm extremely grateful for the support offered to me by GoSports Foundation for the past two years. The financial grant has helped me participate in more tournaments abroad, and improve my world ranking. With continued support, I hope to perform better and finish 2014 as a top-15 player in the world."
A detailed description of the scholarship programs are given below:
THE ACE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME 2014
ACE Management Programme is a high-performance elite athlete management programme. Athletes who are part of the ACE Management Programme will be offered pro bono advisory and consultation services by the GoSports Foundation's panel of experts, consisting of nutritionists, psychologists, fitness trainers, lawyers, media and public relations experts, etc. 2013 PGTI Rookie of the Year golfer Chikkarangappa S, Paralympian swimmer Sharath Gayakwad, and rising stars of Indian Badminton HS Prannoy, RMV Gurusaidutt and Sourabh Verma are the 5 athletes who will be part of the ACE Management Programme for 2014.
THE PACE SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAMME 2014
PACE Scholarships are offered by the GoSports Foundation to promising junior athletes from Olympic and Paralympic disciplines in their run-up to graduating to senior competition. The PACE Scholarships are primarily merit-based, with need being a significant consideration.
Athletes part of the PACE Scholarships Programme are aged between 13 and 21 years, and are high-performing juniors competing at the national and international circuit in their chosen sport. Olympian paddler Soumyajit Ghosh, National Badminton Champion Kidambi Srikanth, and junior Davis Cupper Nikshep BR feature among the 16 athletes who will be part of this programme in 2014.
THE PACER SPECIAL GRANTS 2014
The GoSports Foundation PACER Special Grants are offered to talented athletes from Olympic and Paralympic disciplines. The Foundation works with the chosen athletes on specific projects with objectives personalized to their needs. These include providing athletes access to fitness experts, or helping injured athletes undergo treatment and rehabilitation programmes.
