Big sporting feats at UPES in 2022

UPES alumnus and Commonwealth Games medallist Navneet Singh (left) and shooting champion and student Deeya Chopra (right)

UPES has seen a series of victories recently in sports with staff members, an alumnus, and students winning accolades for the university at college, state, national and international levels

There has been a torrent of sporting feats at UPES in the recent past.

A three-member shooting team from UPES – Sezal Maan, Deeya Chopra, and Geethika Konasani – recently won an inter-college shooting championship.

An alumnus – Navneet Singh – grabbed the silver in Commonwealth Games 2022, and the gold in the recently concluded National Games in Men’s Lawn Balls.

UPES staff member Sanyam Arora (left) and alumnus Navneet Singh (right)

A university staff member – Sanyam Arora – made it to the Uttarakhand state cricket team, while two others – Himanshu Bisht and Akhil Rawat – have been selected to play for the state’s Ranji team.

To top it all off, the University’s cricket team – Team Orange – are the current champions of the most prestigious cricket tournament organised by the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand.

An elated Dr Nishant Mishra, Dean, Student Welfare, UPES, says, “Sports is a religion at UPES. At UPES, extra-curricular activities are not seen as ‘extra’ but as ‘co-curricular’. We focus on complete and holistic development of students by exposing them to different avenues such as sports, in addition to academics.”

Expressing his pride at the recent achievements by Navneet and the shooting team, he adds, “UPES now feels more committed than ever before to support its students in the best way possible so that they can create history for their respective sports and the country. Both Navneet and Sezal have shown us the way forward.”

UPES is fast becoming a dream university for sports aspirants. Taking cognizance of the need to develop a thriving sports culture in the country and make quality education and career pathways accessible to meritorious individuals, UPES recently announced new sports scholarships for the academic year 2022-23.

The announcement of the 50 scholarships under Project Vijay was made at an event held on the university campus in the presence of the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Under the project, a total of 50 seats would be allotted for cricket, football, athletics, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, badminton, shooting, and chess.

Apart from these, the university has launched a sports fest for Ph.D. scholars, formed all-women sports teams, signed collaborations with two universities for a year-long Sports League, and planned a few leisure games inspired by India’s cultural ethos. Then there’s Team Orange, which, in coach Dr Atri Nautiyal’s words, is “not just a team but a philosophy and movement that connects and drives people to excellence”.

Navneet feels proud of his alma mater’s initiative to make sports an integral part of the academic curriculum.

“This will benefit talented sportspersons,” he says. “They will be able to focus on their sports and complete their studies without worrying about anything else,” he adds.

Sezal feels sports scholarships are necessary to boost the morale of students who aim to take up sports as a career.

“Not only will it motivate them but especially help those students who are not economically sound but have a passion for sports. I highly appreciate this initiative by UPES to award sports scholarships,” she says.

Dr. Mishra agrees. Emphasizing the need for a sportsperson to stay motivated, he says, “It is the ability to persevere and remain motivated that is the foundation of sports and athletic accomplishment, and sports scholarship can play a major role in this regard.”

UPES student Sezal Maan at a shooting practice

“In the last few years, intercollegiate or inter-university sports have become a multi-million-dollar industry and scholarships have become more lucrative for prospective student-sportspersons to obtain, since scholarships have a strong impact on their behaviour and achievements,” he adds.

Applicable only on the tuition fee, the Project Vijay scholarships will range from 35% to 100%, depending on the number of achievements and the national and international sports representation by the candidate.

Apart from academic eligibility, the scholarship is provided if the student continues the sport as part of the UPES team.

Commenting on the scholarships, Dr Sunil Rai, Vice Chancellor, UPES said, “As a University of Tomorrow, we stand on six strong pillars, one of which is ‘Purpose’. Driving the purpose of education for all, UPES has added this new scholarship to the existing ones. It is a privilege for us to announce Project Vijay in the presence of the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.”