Ludhiana, June 8 -- As many as 24 new sports nurseries in the district are set to start functioning next week with trained coaches joining to guide young talent across various disciplines. These nurseries aim to provide structured coaching to children and help them grow into professional athletes, officials said.

Out of the 24 nurseries, five have been dedicated to athletics and only one of them is in urban area while the remaining four are in rural zones. Other nurseries include one each for wushu, rowing, gymnastics, swimming, weightlifting, cycling, badminton, archery, basketball, boxing and wrestling. Four nurseries have been allotted for hockey, two for football and two for volleyball.

District sports officer Kuldeep Chugh said, "F...