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Sports Ministry makes sporting infrastructure accessible to all
Optimistic about the future, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the government is doing its bit to provide aspiring athletes with enough infrastructure.
In a bid to render sporting infrastructure accessible to athletes across the country, the Sports Ministry has decided to make four of its sporting grounds, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JLN) and Karni Shooting Range (KSSR) in Delhi, available for free to federations and athletes from November 1.
According to the Ministry, an effort was initiated to promote the recently launched Fit India Movement so that sporting infrastructure becomes available to all athletes across India. The unprecedented move by the Sports Ministry indicates a substantial opportunity for the emerging as well as the established sportspeople in the country.
The first phase includes four stadiums in the capital, including the JLN Stadium, Indira Gandhi Stadium, Major Dhyanchand National Stadium, and KSSR being thrown open for several state as well as national federations to conduct tournaments and leagues of all sporting disciplines.
The first league in the calendar is the Khelo India Golden League, underway at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which will see football being played by U-7, U-9 and U-11 boys and girls.
Optimistic about the future, Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the government is doing its bit to provide aspiring athletes with enough infrastructure so that the sporting framework in India is poised at an inflection point in the coming years.
Rijiju told PTI,
The Ministry has at its disposal some of the best sporting infrastructures of the country and needs to be utilised for the benefit of promoting the sporting culture and ecosystem in the country.
He further added, "The intention of the ministry is to increase the use of existing sports infrastructure by three times in the next three months. I am sure this step will not only promote fitness but will also prompt more youngsters to compete in sport and help us identify more talent for the country.”
This decision by the Sports Ministry indicates a substantial opportunity for the emerging as well as the established sportspeople in the country.
Each stadium has been selected for a particular sporting discipline. While the famous JLN will conduct only football leagues and training organised by its federations, the Indira Gandhi Stadium will host wrestling, boxing, judo, and badminton. The shooting competitions will be conducted at KSSR, while the National Stadium has been earmarked for both hockey and swimming.
The newly formulated policy also seeks to allow non-registered Sports Authority of India (SAI) coaches to train at the stadia free of cost, on the condition that the coach has a minimum of at least ten wards training under him or her. Training sessions will be available for booking by a coach online starting from November 1, while he or she can charge a training fee from the trainees. For those who are not training professionally, the stadia will be rendered available and can be booked by advance online bookings against available slots.
