Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday declared open Khelo India University Games 2023 here, claiming that the event has become an excellent medium to inculcate the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ along with team spirit.
Inaugurating the Games virtually in the presence of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the BBD University, without taking the name of the Congress, PM Modi recalled scams surrounding the Commonwealth Games in India as an example of the attitude of the earlier governments towards sports.
“In the last nine years, a new era of sports started in India which is not just about making India a big power in sports but also is an era of empowering society through the medium of sports,” he said.
The PM underscored the huge change in attitude towards sports among the parents. “Sports is now being viewed as an attractive profession and Khelo India Abhiyan has played a big role in that,” he said.
The 10-day Games will witness the participation of over 4750 athletes from more than 200 universities competing in 21 sports categories.
He expressed satisfaction that about 30,000 athletes have participated in Khelo India Games so far. Out of which 1500 athletes are getting financial assistance. The budget for sports has seen a three-fold rise compared to what was there nine years ago.
Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Thakur, also joining the event virtually, said that it was the vision of PM Modi who envisioned the Khelo India Youth Games, University Games, Winter Games and started the Khelo India campaign.
At the same time, he also thanked UP CM Yogi Adityanath for the grand event. He said that Uttar Pradesh was the only state in the country which invited all the sportspersons of the country and honoured them when the PM boosted the morale of the sportspersons after coming from the Olympics.
Expressing gratitude to PM Modi for giving the responsibility of hosting the third edition of Khelo India University Games, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said: “Sports activities have reached every village. Every youth and person of all ages takes pride in being associated with these activities.”