Lucknow, Jan 26 (IANS): Uttar Pradesh will soon have its first sports university in Meerut after the state cabinet approved the State Sports University Bill 2021 draft. The university will aim at providing best infrastructure practices and services to athletes.

A government spokesman said the university will help athletes in getting training, thereby making them ready for national and international level competitions.

The sports university will be built at an approximate cost of Rs 700 crores and will come up in the Salawa village in Sardhana tehsil of Meerut district. The cost of the project will be borne by the state government.

The spokesman said there was a proposal to have the draft cleared by both the Houses of the state Legislature during the Budget Session.

Once the Bill, cleared on Monday evening, is enacted, the university bylaws will be promulgated.

"It will be a teaching and affiliating university which will award degrees on the basis of theory and practicals.

"The university will have graduate, postgraduate, diploma, certificate, MPhil and PhD courses under physical education, health and applied sports sciences, sports management and technology, sports coaching, sports journalism, mass media technology, adventure sports and youth affairs," the spokesman said.