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Special stadium to be built for athletes with disabilities: Haryana CM Saini
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini launched the Special Olympics Bharat Athletics Championship and announced initiatives to enhance sports for persons with disabilities.
Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday inaugurated the Special Olympics Bharat Athletics National Championship at Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak, announcing major initiatives to promote sports among persons with disabilities (PwDs).
Addressing the gathering, Saini said that in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Accessible India” vision, the state will construct a dedicated stadium for PwD athletes in Haryana, with residential facilities as well. He also announced a grant of ₹31 lakh to Special Olympics Bharat, while Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam declared an additional grant of ₹21 lakh.
“The true essence of the Special Olympics lies not in winning medals alone, but in recognising the strength and potential of the human spirit,” the chief minister said. He clarified that the Paralympics and Special Olympics are often seen as the same, though they serve different groups. “Paralympics are organised for athletes with physical disabilities, whereas the Special Olympics is a global movement for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” he added.
Saini also highlighted India’s performance at the recent Special Olympics World Winter Games in Italy, where a 49-member Indian contingent participated and 28 athletes won a total of 33 medals.
The chief minister said the state has spent ₹989 crore on developing sports infrastructure over the past 11 years. He added that Haryana’s sports budget has increased from ₹275 crore in 2014–15 to ₹602.18 crore in the current financial year. Olympic, Paralympic and other international medal winners are being awarded cash prizes of up to ₹6 crore.
Detailing the existing facilities, Saini said Haryana now has three state-level sports complexes, 21 district-level stadiums, 25 sub-divisional stadiums, 163 Rajiv Gandhi Rural Sports Complexes, 245 rural stadiums and 382 indoor gyms in villages. The state has also developed 10 swimming pools, 11 synthetic athletic tracks, 14 hockey astroturf grounds, two synthetic football grounds and nine multipurpose halls. He also noted that a Sports University has been established at Rai in Sonipat.
Sports minister Gaurav Gautam said that dedicated sports facilities for PwD athletes are being developed at Daulatabad in Gurugram, and that a model sports centre for North India will also be established in Haryana.
