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Yogi Adityanath unveils logo, mascot, torch and anthem of Khelo India University Games
Every event held in Uttar Pradesh becomes the biggest, says chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow in the presence of Union sports minister Anurag Thakur
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that the Khelo India University Games will undoubtedly prove to be a milestone in promoting sports activities among the youngsters of the state.
He made the remark at an event in which he unveiled the logo, mascot, torch, anthem, and jersey of the Khelo India University Games at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow in the presence of Union sports minister Anurag Thakur.
“Today, Uttar Pradesh is not only the state with the largest population, but every event held here also inevitably grows to be the biggest. Uttar Pradesh has been selected for the third edition of the Khelo India University Games, and I can assure the Central government that this will be the biggest event ever,” Yogi Adityanath said.
The third edition of Khelo India University Games (KIUG) is scheduled to be held from May 25 to June 3 across four cities of the state-- Varanasi, Noida, Gorakhpur and Lucknow. The shooting competition will be organised in New Delhi at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range.
The chief minister also stated that the Khelo India University Games will draw participants from 200 universities.
“They will also get an opportunity to know, understand, and learn about Uttar Pradesh. The entire team of Uttar Pradesh is ready to welcome them. For the launch of these games starting on May 25, I cordially invite the Central government and all the states to become partners in these events and give their guidance,” he said.
“You must all have noticed India’s progress over the past nine years in every sector. The way the world views India has also changed. You must have noticed that every Indian citizen now exudes confidence. The Khelo India University Games is also a representation of how, over the past nine years, people’s attitudes toward sports have changed,” the chief minister said.
“A decade ago, public perception toward sports and sportspersons was not favourable. Sports was considered an unnecessary task, a waste of time. Today, it has changed. Family members encourage the child towards sports activities,” he added.
Mentioning an increasing awareness about sports in Uttar Pradesh, the chief minister said that from the village to the district level, ‘Sansad Khel Spardha’ events are also being planned in a grand manner. In rural areas, a lot of people are joining these events, he said.
“I would like to thank Anurag Singh Thakur for accelerating this campaign after assuming charge of the sports ministry. Today, Uttar Pradesh is fully ready to implement this vision of the Prime Minister on the ground,” Yogi Adityanath said.
“Uttar Pradesh has taken forward the process of construction of a stadium in every district. The work of the mini stadium has started at the block level. The construction of sports grounds in 58,000 gram panchayats has gained momentum,” he said.
The chief minister pointed out that in order to further boost the sports activities, a major programme of encouraging Yuvak Mangal Dal and Mahila Mangal Dal was taken forward by the youth welfare department.
“Till now, we have provided sports kits to 65,000 Yuvak Mangal Dal and Mahila Mangal Dal (volunteers) out of the total 85,000. Sports kits will be made available to the remaining 20,000 until next year,” he said.
