Bharat Chetri, the former captain of the Indian hockey team, believes the team’s consecutive achievements at the Olympics have boosted the sport’s reach, a momentum that he is now channeling into his new hockey academy in Kalimpong.

“The national team has won successive medals at the Olympics where the best teams from across the world participated. It is a major achievement and will also draw sports many enthusiasts to the game,” Chetri, who is currently based in Kalimpong, told The Telegraph on Sunday.

In 2020, India secured a bronze medal in hockey at the Tokyo Olympics and this year, the team repeated the feat at the Paris Olympics.

Chetri, the former hockey star, has taken the initiative to develop a hockey academy at Upper Payung, near 16th Mile, about five kilometres from Kalimpong town.

This upcoming sports infrastructure, located on the outskirts of the hill town, will be the first-of-its-kind facility in north Bengal.

“The back-to-back success of the team has opened a new avenue for many enthusiasts. They are now opting to indulge in hockey, after sports like cricket and football. Some academies have already been established in Punjab, Haryana and Bangalore,” Chetri said.

Last year, Chetri took up the project for the academy in association with the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). The proposed academy is being built on a plot measuring 60 decimals.

“We have finished around 60 percent of the work and hope to open the academy in December this year. The work got delayed due to heavy downpours in the hills,” he added.

The academy will feature two turf areas measuring 130 metres by 80 metres, which have already been completed. After the monsoons, AstroTurf will be installed in the turf areas.

Sources said that the GTA will spend ₹2.16 crores on this project.