Pune: SportsSkill has launched SportsSkill X, its first physical high-performance centre, at Infinity Business Park in Thube Park, Pune, marking a major step in integrating sports technology with on-ground athlete development.
Inaugurated by seven-time World Masters Squash Champion Geoff Davenport and six-time National Squash Champion Rishad Pandole, SportsSkill X is located on the building’s 16th floor and offers panoramic views of the city skyline.
The facility is among the highest squash facilities in India and Asia.
SportsSkill, the sports-tech and athlete development platform behind the Chance2Sports Foundation, has established the centre to connect its digital athlete-tracking capabilities with professional coaching, sports science and high-performance training.
Davenport, one of the most accomplished players in World Masters squash history, attended the inauguration as Guest of Honour. Pandole, an acclaimed businessman and six-time national squash champion, was also present.
They were joined by SportsSkill co-founders Abhinav Sinha and Chetan Desai, along with athletes, coaches, parents and members of Pune’s sporting and business community.
SportsSkill X Bridges Sports Technology and On-Ground Training
Most sports-tech platforms in India focus on digital services such as performance tracking, rankings and booking. SportsSkill has adopted an integrated approach by combining its technology platform with a dedicated physical training facility.
Over the past few years, the SportsSkill app has recorded training sessions, match footage and athlete progress across 10–12 cities.
With the launch of SportsSkill X, the platform now has a physical high-performance centre where coaches, physiotherapists and athletes can use this information to improve performance through regular training.
The model connects performance measurement with practical implementation. While the app helps athletes identify areas for improvement, SportsSkill X provides the coaching and training environment required to address them.
By bringing both capabilities under one brand, SportsSkill aims to create a comprehensive sports development ecosystem, connecting athletes’ initial assessments on the app with high-performance training on court.
The launch also comes as squash prepares for its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028. With the sport set to enter the Olympic programme, access to world-class training facilities in India is becoming increasingly important for players aspiring to compete at the highest level.
SportsSkill X aims to contribute to this development by providing athletes with access to specialised training, technology and performance support in India. Its tagline, “Above the City. Beyond the Game,” reflects the centre’s positioning.
SportsSkill X Combines Coaching, Performance Analysis and Recovery
SportsSkill X has been designed as a complete athlete-performance ecosystem rather than simply a squash court available for hire. The centre is built around four pillars: Technology, Expertise, Performance and Opportunity.
Alongside its squash courts and other sports facilities, the centre features a strength and conditioning zone, a video and data analysis suite, and a dedicated recovery area.
The facility integrates these resources with the SportsSkill app, which already has more than 300 active users. Athletes use the platform to record training sessions, upload match footage and receive personalised feedback.
At SportsSkill X, video footage and performance data captured during training will help coaches develop individualised plans for players. The objective is to make athlete development measurable and data-driven rather than relying solely on observation.
The centre will also serve as a testing ground for new features being developed for the SportsSkill platform, allowing the company to connect technology development with athletes’ real-world training requirements.
Rolling Nicks Champions Gurukul to Lead Coaching
Coaching at SportsSkill X will be powered by Rolling Nicks Champions Gurukul, a coaching system led by Abhinav Sinha.
Sinha is a former Asian Junior and World Junior Championship player and a two-time national champion in the Coaches’ Category. The coaching programme will focus on multiple aspects of athlete development, including technique, fitness, nutrition and mental conditioning.
Fit2Sport has joined the initiative as Performance Partner, supporting the centre’s integrated approach to athlete preparation.
By combining specialised coaching with strength and conditioning, recovery facilities and performance analytics, SportsSkill X aims to support athletes across different stages of their development.
SportsSkill X Marks a Homecoming for Squash Development in Pune
The centre’s location in Thube Park carries significance for Sinha and his earlier efforts to expand access to squash in Pune.
Thube Park was where Sinha’s earlier initiative, Rolling Nicks Sports Foundation, opened Pune’s first free squash court in collaboration with his friend and squash enthusiast Yogesh Thube. The initiative introduced hundreds of children in the city to the sport.
Nearly a decade later, the same neighbourhood is home to SportsSkill X, a high-performance facility designed to combine professional training with sports technology.
The development builds on the achievements of athletes associated with the SportsSkill and Chance2Sports ecosystem. Players from the system have won multiple national titles and achieved National Rank 1 in the Girls Under-15 and Under-17 categories, as well as Rank 2 in Girls Under-19.
Athletes from the programme have also represented India at the Asian Junior and World Junior Championships.
Among them is Pune-based Anika Dubey, who joined the programme at the age of 10 and recently won silver at the Asian Junior Squash Championships.
These achievements form part of the foundation on which SportsSkill and Chance2Sports are building their athlete-development initiatives.
SportsSkill X to Support Chance2Sports Foundation’s NextGen Super 30 Mission
SportsSkill X will serve as the high-performance training base for the Chance2Sports Foundation’s NextGen Super 30 mission.
The five-year initiative involves an investment of ₹25 crore and aims to assess nearly 3,000 children from diverse backgrounds, with 300 selected for elite training regardless of their ability to pay.
Through the programme, the foundation aims to expand access to structured sports training and identify talented young athletes who may otherwise lack access to high-performance facilities.
The foundation’s ambition is not only to produce India’s first World Junior Squash gold medallist but also to establish a development pipeline capable of nurturing future champions.
SportsSkill X will provide the physical infrastructure for this mission, while the SportsSkill technology platform will support athlete assessment, performance tracking and personalised development.
Abhinav Sinha on Building SportsSkill X
Abhinav Sinha, Co-founder of SportsSkill and Chance2Sports, said the facility reflects his experience growing up in a city without a squash academy and his efforts to make professional training more accessible to young athletes.
“I grew up in a city without a single squash academy. Everything I have built since has been about making sure the next talented child doesn’t hit that wall.
SportsSkill X is the facility I wish I’d had at 12. Now a child from Pune, Kalamb or Assam can train in a space that matches anything in the world, with the data and coaching to back it up.”
Sinha’s statement highlights the initiative’s focus on providing young athletes from different locations and backgrounds with access to advanced training infrastructure and professional coaching.
Chetan Desai on Combining Technology with Athlete Development
Chetan Desai, Co-founder of SportsSkill and Chance2Sports, said the company’s decision to establish a physical centre builds on its original technology-led approach to talent identification and development.
“We started as a technology platform because we believed data could find and grow talent faster. But data alone doesn’t build a champion.
You need the court, the coach and the recovery room too. SportsSkill X is where our technology meets the real world. Merit, not money, will decide who walks onto these courts, and technology will decide how far they go.”
Desai emphasised the importance of combining digital performance data with coaching, training infrastructure and recovery support. He also reiterated the initiative’s focus on merit-based access to the centre.
Geoff Davenport Calls SportsSkill X a World-Class Facility
Geoff Davenport, seven-time World Masters Squash Champion, praised the centre’s facilities and its integrated approach to athlete development.
“I have played squash in many countries over many decades, and I have rarely seen a court with a view like this. But what impresses me more is what happens to it.
The combination of coaching, sports science and data here is world-class. With squash heading to the Olympics, India has the talent to be a real force, and centres like SportsSkill X are how that talent gets there.”
Davenport’s remarks highlighted the role of coaching, sports science and data in preparing athletes for international competition as squash approaches its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028.
SportsSkill X: Location Details
SportsSkill X is located on the 16th floor of Infinity Business Park, Thube Park, Pune.
The facility combines squash training, athlete performance analysis, strength and conditioning, recovery support and technology-enabled coaching within the SportsSkill and Chance2Sports ecosystem.
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