Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma inaugurated the state-of-the-art True North Swimming Academy at Lapalang in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district on Friday.
True North Center is one of the largest initiatives supported under the CM ELEVATE program with a sanction of Rs 1 crore.
Taking to X, CM Sangma said, “Deeply impressed by the quality of infrastructure at the True North Center. The sports economy holds immense potential, and we want to see more of our youth and entrepreneurs tapping into this space.”
Hopeful that investments such as True North will help ready our young people in realising our Olympic aspirations, he added.
One of the individuals behind True North is Gary Lamare, a name etched in history as the first Meghalayan to conquer Mt. Everest.
The chief minister further said, “Entrepreneurs like Gary, who chase their dreams with relentless determination, continue to inspire us. Programs like CM ELEVATE and PRIME Meghalaya are empowering such individuals to turn their vision into reality.”
“Our children are good at different sports, but we have to look at how to generate an economy or employment out of that, and hence the convergence between entrepreneurship and sports is important,” he stated.
“I hope this institute will be able to provide the swimmers that we need to be able to get medals in the National Games of 2027,” he added.
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Gary Lamare informed that the centre also has a gym, but the focus will be on the swimming academy. He also said that the swimming pool is manned by trained and certified instructors, providing a safe environment for the members.
The center features a 25 metre multi-lane pool, ranging in depth from 3 to 6 feet, a training pool and a kids pool. There is also a cardio track, steam room, and hot tub.
