Distributes ₹20 crore to 198 sportsperson: Embrace tech while preserving discipline, Saini tells athletes

Addressing athletes at a cash award distribution ceremony held at the PWD Rest House Auditorium in Sector 1, Saini urged sportspersons to embrace technology while preserving determination, discipline and human values

Stressing that technology can enhance performance but can never replace human spirit, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday said Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming sports by helping analyse athletes’ fitness, predict injuries, assess opponents’ strategies and make training more scientific.

Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini presents a cash award to an athlete during the event in Panchkula on Tuesday. (Sant Arora/HT)

However, he said AI can never measure an athlete’s passion, understand patriotism or replicate the emotions of a sportsperson standing on the victory podium with the Tricolour draped over their shoulders.

Addressing athletes at a cash award distribution ceremony held at the PWD Rest House Auditorium in Sector 1, Saini urged sportspersons to embrace technology while preserving determination, discipline and human values, saying the future belongs to those who combine innovation with perseverance.

During the ceremony, the CM distributed cash awards worth ₹20.59 crore to 198 sportspersons who won medals or represented India in major international and national events. The awards included ₹13.75 crore for 117 international-level sportspersons, ₹2.32 crore for three medallists of the 2022 Para Asian Games, and ₹4.52 crore for 78 national-level athletes. Minister of state for sports Gaurav Gautam was also present.

Congratulating the awardees, Saini said the glory of winning a medal may last only a few moments, but it is earned through years of dedication, discipline and perseverance. He expressed confidence that Haryana’s athletes would continue to bring laurels to the state and the country.

Highlighting the government’s support for sportspersons, the CM said 260 athletes have been given government jobs under the Outstanding Sportspersons Recruitment Rules, while the state’s sports gradation policy has been expanded to include participants of the Haryana state games. He also announced that the monthly honorarium for award-winning athletes has been enhanced.

Saini said the state has established 2,000 sports nurseries, is providing monthly scholarships to young athletes and has introduced a daily diet allowance for trainees at 25 residential sports academies to strengthen grassroots sports.

Speaking on the occasion, Sports minister Gaurav Gautam said the state has launched Mission-2036 with the target of winning 36 Olympic medals. He said around ₹300 crore is being spent to upgrade sports infrastructure and provide world-class training facilities across Haryana.