Indian Army to raise two 'Army Girls Sports Companies' in phased manner

The Indian Army has planned to raise two 'Army Girls Sports Companies' in a phased manner, as part of a move to train young girls from across the country in shooting, archery, athletics, boxing and weightlifting, officials said on Friday.

The development coincides with International Women's Day celebrations in the country and outside.

The Army Girls Sports Companies (AGSCs) will be "fully functional with effect from April 2024", a senior official said.

"In sync with the national vision of women empowerment and demonstration of 'Nari Shakti', the Indian Army is raising two Army Girls Sports Companies in a phased manner," he said.

These companies will be located at the Army's existing Centre of Excellence (COE) Nodes -- Army Marksmanship Unit, Mhow; and Army Sports Institute, Pune, he added.

The aim is to identify young talent, provide them with formal education apart from other administrative requirements and train them to be champions in their respective sporting discipline, the officials said.

The Indian Army has rich experience in scouting for young talent, as demonstrated by the success of the 'Boys Sports Companies', they said.

The AGSCs will train young girls from across the country in shooting, archery, athletics, boxing and weightlifting. The two locations in Pune and Mhow have world-class training infrastructure, sports medicine centre, rehabilitation facility and related coaching facilities, the senior official said.

These young talent will also benefit from the senior army teams or athletes, who are also being trained at these locations. Senior sportspersons will be a source of motivation for these young girls "who will be able to successfully emulate international athletes and imbibe required skills on a very regular basis", he added.

It is aligned with India's sports policy to "achieve more podium finishes at the Olympics", the official said.

He further added that the girls at AGSCs will be "eligible for recruitment as Direct Entry Non-Commissioned Officers and Direct Entry Junior Commissioned Officers, apart from enrolment as Agniveers".

Subedar Preeti Rajak, a champion trap shooter and Asian Games silver medallist, was accordingly identified as a talent and enrolled as a havildar in the Corps of Military Police in December 2022, the official said.

She was the first woman soldier to be promoted to a subedar in January 2024. She trains at the Army Marksmanship Unit in Mhow, he said.

Similarly, Jasmine Lamboria, a bronze medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, was enrolled as a non-commissioned officer in the Army that October.

These role models will inspire the incoming young talent to strive for sporting glory in their respective fields, the officials said.