The Sports School (TSS) in Bengaluru on Friday launched a 2021-22 National Scholarship Programme to help nurture future sports champions in the country by providing access to their world-class facilities. The scholarship will be awarded to at least 60 eligible students across four games — cricket, football, tennis and basketball.
The TSS announced their scholarship programme through a virtual conference on December 18 in the presence of champion athletes and TSS partners — Rohan Bopanna, top Indian tennis star, Robin Uthappa, who plays for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL along with Mandar Tamhane, CEO of India’s top football club Bengaluru FC.
The scholarship programme will be offered to students in the age category of U-12, U-14 and U-16 on basis of their potential in any of the four games. The candidates will be evaluated based on their attitude, aptitude, commitment, sporting achievements and their performance in the trials, which are scheduled to be held in the month of January. Based on their performance and evaluation by experts at TSS, the scholarships will range between 25 per cent to 100 per cent coverage for sports training and academic fees at the institute.
"With the scholarship programme, we will be able to reach students at the grassroots level. A well-rounded education is extremely critical when you want to pursue sports as a mainstream career option. Everyone who wants to pursue a career in sport doesn't want their academics to suffer. A sportsperson has a short-lived career and they have to fall back on different things later in their lives. Here at TSS, students will get proper support to complete their education and pursue their passion. You have the opportunity to play four kinds of sports, then pick one and pursue that. You can also choose something within that sport, there are different opportunities like sports management, sporting events and a lot more. TSS provides a balance between your academics and sports, it helps build a sense of confidence and you would cherish the overall experience," said Robin Uthappa, who is also a chief mentor at the TSS Cricket Academy.
"I am glad that this scholarship programme will be a great opportunity to reach out to the talented kids who give up on their dreams of a tennis career due to lack of financial support and opportunities. With this scholarship I believe the players, who have AITA ranking and want to pursue the sport at the highest level, will get the right training and guidance along with quality education," said Asian Games gold medallist Rohan Bopanna, who is also the chief mentor of TSS and the founder of Rohan Bopanna TSS Tennis Academy.
TSS is India’s first integrated school for sports and academics, providing budding and professional athletes with world-class facilities and training by expert coaches and world-renowned mentors for tennis, cricket, badminton, football and basketball. "Today sports is not just played as a hobby but it is now looked at as a career option too. With a sports-driven academic curriculum, we believe students find a balance between sports and study. And this scholarship programme will give us an opportunity to discover sporting talent from every corner of the country who, with the help of the champion mentors, can be groomed to become the future heroes and represent India as well as are equipped with an academic career to back them," Dr Sankar UV, Director of TSS added during the launch.
