SS Deswal, former Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), has been appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of the first upcoming Sports University in Haryana.
The state government of Haryana announced in a report by PTI that SS Deswal has been appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of the first Sports University in the state. The university will be located on a 200-acre campus in Rai village in the Sonipat district and will involve the upgrading of the existing Motilal Nehru School of Sports located on the same site.
Deswal, a 1984-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, has been appointed as the "first Vice-Chancellor of the Sports University in Haryana, Rai, Sonipat, with immediate effect", according to a government order dated December 27, 2022. Deswal retired from service in August 2021, where he was serving as the head of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and holding the additional charge of the Border Security Force D-G.
The retired IPS officer has the rare distinction of having headed all central forces except for the CISF. In addition to serving as the head of the ITBP and SSB, he also held charge of the CRPF, BSF, and the counter-terrorist force NSG in an additional capacity.
During his tenure as the head of the ITBP, Deswal oversaw the running of the Sardar Patel COVID care centre in south Delhi's Chattarpur area and the first COVID-19 quarantine facility in the national capital, according to PTI. His daughter, Yashaswini Singh Deswal, is an accomplished shooter who has won numerous gold medals in international 10m air pistol shooting championships.
Deswal, who has taken over as the Vice-Chancellor of the Sports University, stated in an interview with PTI that the university aims to begin classes in the upcoming academic session. "The infrastructure will be created gradually. The university will cater to the training and academic needs of the players and coaches and about the equipment they require," he said. Deswal added the upcoming university will work to address "deficiencies in all sporting disciplines." "We will consult all state governments, universities and other institutions working in this domain," he told PTI.
The state government of Haryana, led by Manohar Lal Khattar, announced in 2019 that the Sports University will offer academic and training programs in physical education and sports sciences, including sports technology and sports medicine. Courses at the institution will include training in sports management, sports infrastructure engineering, sports psychology, sports nutrition, sports journalism, and sports marketing.