Delhi came together to pledge its support to Khelo India School Games at the Central Park in Connaught Place. Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore administered the Khelo India pledge to hundreds of sports lovers who came to the Park in a carnival like atmosphere that also had the giant tricolour fluttering in the backdrop.
The minister, who was India’s first individual silver medallist ever at the 2004 Olympic Games, reiterated his enthusiasm for sports by shooting hoops, playing some table tennis and making a few chess moves before exhorting the youngsters to go out and play sports for a healthy new India.
“The objective of Khelo India, which is driven by the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, is aimed at ushering a sports culture in the country. It’s more than just winning or losing. Every year we will be taking in 1000 youngsters under the Khelo India programme and provide them with support to the tune of Rs. 5 lakh for the next eight years,” said Col. Rathore.
He also said that in the future the age for inducting talented athletes into the programme could be further reduced. He also pointed out that Khelo India is not just about talent spotting, it’s also about grooming talent.
He added, “The idea is to groom talented athletes by providing them with the right training facilities and exposure. Their progress will be monitored by using IT-driven technology.”
Emphasising on the need to make Khelo India as movement for turning India into a sporting powerhouse, Col. Rathore said: “The aim is to engage the maximum number of people with sports. It has to start from within the family, in schools and at the local level. When more people start playing sport, we will discover more talent.”
The carnival atmosphere continued to attract the youth long after the Minister had left the Central Park and hundreds of enthusiastic youngsters tried their hand at their favourite sports.