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Amit Shah inaugurates Khelo India Youth Games, says event will help young talent
At least 4,500 athletes are scheduled to participate in the 10-day competition during the Khelo India Youth Games. While Panchkula stadium will be the epicentre, sporting events are scheduled across Haryana and Delhi.
Panchkula: Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated the fourth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games in a grand ceremony at the Panchkula stadium. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and union minister of youth affairs and sports, Anurag Thakur, were among those present at the ceremony.
At least 4,500 athletes are scheduled to participate in the 10-day competition. While Panchkula stadium will be the epicentre, sporting events are scheduled across Haryana and Delhi.
Athletics, football, badminton, table tennis, kabaddi, handball, wrestling, volleyball and boxing are among some of the sports that athletes will compete in.
While hosts Haryana won the first edition of Khelo India Youth Games in 2018, Maharashtra came out on top in the second edition.
Speaking at Saturday’s inaugural event, Shah termed Haryana as the “sports capital” of India.
“We cannot rule out the contribution of Haryana’s athletes in bringing India international acclaim. The government has done a great job to provide such a tremendous platform to budding sportspersons. The athletes should make most of these chances and reach for the top. I am hoping the Khelo India Games should be making Olympic medallists in the next decade.”
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“Our government has raised the sports budget from ₹864 crore in 2014 to ₹1,992 crore in 2022, and the outcome is pretty evident, with the best ever medal haul of 7 at the Tokyo Olympics, a rise of 5 from the earlier edition in 2016. Similarly, in the Paralympics, the medals rose from a mere four in 2016 to 19 in 2021,” he added, lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the advances made by the country in the field of sports.
Union sports minister Thakur said: “Khelo India Youth Games and University Games are the outcome of the vision of Honourable Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi ji. This has ensured that athletes get all the support they need. Be it the funding to Khelo India athletes or the Out of Pocket allowance of ₹10,000 per month and training facilities; or the personalised support to elite athletes through TOPS. As athletes, all you need to do is to play well, you don’t have to worry about your requirements, that will be taken care of by us.”
Chief minister Khattar also expressed the desire for the state’s athletes to dominate at the Olympics and other international competitions.
“I thank the PM for giving Haryana the opportunity to host KIYG-2021. This is not just a sporting competition, but also a melange of cultures, because when athletes come here from all over the country, they don’t just bring their sporting skills but also bring their culture with them. The cultural exchange is a wonderful example of the vision of Honourable PM of ‘Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat’, where people across the country come together as one and make the nation strong,” he added.
