Stairs

STAIRS: Empowering the Youth through Sports

STAIRS is a non-profit organization that aims to empower the youth by nurturing talented sportsmen at the grassroots level and enabling them to earn a living and pursue sports as a career. The organization was founded in 2000 by Mr. Siddhartha Upadhyay, who himself was an athlete and had represented India in various international events.

The mission of STAIRS is to create opportunities for young people from underprivileged backgrounds to participate in sports, develop their skills, and achieve their full potential. The organization believes that sports can be a powerful tool for social change, helping young people build self-confidence, discipline, teamwork, and leadership skills.

STAIRS operates across India with its headquarters in Delhi. It has established over 400 grassroots-level academies across 14 states of India covering more than 50 different disciplines including athletics, basketball, boxing, cricket, football (soccer), hockey, kabaddi (a traditional Indian sport), martial arts (karate & taekwondo), shooting (rifle & pistol), swimming etc.

The academies are equipped with modern facilities such as synthetic tracks for athletics; floodlights for night practice; turfs for football/hockey/cricket; mats for martial arts etc., which provide an ideal environment for young athletes to train and hone their skills. STAIRS also provides coaching support from experienced coaches who have represented India at various international events.

Apart from providing training facilities and coaching support at the grassroots level academies STAIRS also organizes tournaments at district/state/national levels which provide exposure to young athletes so that they can showcase their talent on bigger platforms. These tournaments are sponsored by corporates who believe in STAIRS' vision of empowering youth through sports.

STAIRS has been recognized nationally as well as internationally for its contribution towards promoting sports among underprivileged children/youths. It has received several awards including the prestigious Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar (National Sports Promotion Award) from the Government of India in 2018.

STAIRS' impact can be seen through the success stories of its alumni who have gone on to represent India at various international events such as Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games etc. Some of STAIRS' notable alumni include Mary Kom (Boxing), Sushil Kumar (Wrestling), Deepika Kumari (Archery), Manu Bhaker (Shooting) etc.

In conclusion, STAIRS is an organization that is making a significant contribution towards empowering youth through sports. Its grassroots-level academies provide an ideal environment for young athletes to train and hone their skills while its tournaments provide exposure to showcase their talent on bigger platforms. The organization's vision of creating opportunities for young people from underprivileged backgrounds to participate in sports and achieve their full potential is truly inspiring.