"We would be pleased to be associated with the university which has won so many gold medals in the Olympics. Let's move on with this project," Parrikar told the four-member delegation of St Petersburg-based Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health, which gave a presentation about their project to him last night.
Goa Football Development Council (GFDC), a state body, will oversee the project with the assistance of Russian delegation head Yakov Morozov, with an aim to produce world class athletes who would fetch Olympic medals.
"We are grateful for being invited to develop sports and sports industry in Goa. With the help of University of Lesgaft we are sure we will be able to bring benefit to both India and Russia. I hope it leads to a close association between us," Morozov said.
A short film made by first course students of the university, which is the oldest sports and educational institution in the world and was founded in 1896 by an eminent scientist Peter Franzevich Lesgaft, was shown as a part of the presentation.
Parikar accepted the offer of the university, which has so far collected 183 gold medals in the Olympics, including 15 medals in the recently held London Olympics.
The delegation will conduct a six-day tour of the state and interact with all the major stakeholders to develop the project. They will make presentations and give lectures to sports administrators, coaches, physical education teachers and also meet various official bodies to discuss promotion and development of sports in Goa.