Siddis, a tribal community, residing in Uttara Kannada and other parts of Karnataka, bearing a striking resemblance to Africans, were found to possess superior physical attributes during a recent sports talent search exercise conducted by the Centre for Sports Science, Bengaluru.

“Their endurance level is good… They have superior body strength and power. Their hand grip, power and strength are comparable with international standards,” said Antony Chacko, director of Centre for Sports Science, Bengaluru.

The centre, which has been set up by the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, has been conducting sports talent search programmes in different parts of the State. During the programmes held at Haliyal, Yellapur, and Mundgod recently, the authorities identified about 50 to 60 youths possessing good sporting talent.

“In Haliyal, the participants from the Siddi community showed that they were not only strong, but also had good hip strength. Their hand grip and power was above the normative range, comparable with international standards,” he said.

Mr. Chacko said the endurance level of Siddis, who had been picked up for raw talent, was found to be higher than a regular athlete, who had been practising for four to five years.

Out of the identified Siddhi youth, Mr. Chacko said they will zero down on the crème de la crème and take up a programme to provide long-term coaching and prepare them for national events.

However, he emphasised the need to hold training and programmes for tribal youth in their backyard. Earlier also, Sports Authority of India (SAI) had been to tribal areas and selected the youth for training. “But, they could not accustom themselves to life in Bengaluru and returned,” he said.

“We don’t want to displace them. With the best of the facilities, we will go to their areas and train them,” he said.

Similarly, another find of the Centre for Sports Sciences was talent possessed by tribals from Yadgir for archery.

“Their hand-eye coordination, focus and attention is good. We found them to the highly talented. Some of them have also been selected by the State for the national archery tournament, Mr. Chacko said.