Government has said that sportspersons preparing for participation in international sports events are continuously assisted for their training and competitive exposures within the country and abroad.

Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said this in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. He said, around eight thousand talented sports persons are being trained in 34 sports disciplines on residential and non-residential basis. Mr Thakur said, a total of 188 centres including National Centres of Excellence, SAI Training Centre and Extension Centres are functional for implementation of sports promotional schemes of Sports Authority of India.