Srinagar, June 25 -- Srinagar- Jammu and Kashmir is set to get its first National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Sports at Awantipora in Pulwama district, a landmark project that aims to transform the Union Territory into a hub for high altitude sports, elite athlete development and world-class sports training infrastructure.

The approval for the project was accorded by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya for sanctioning the Centre, calling it the beginning of a new era of sporting opportunities for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir.

"This state-of-the-art Centre will bring world-...