By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 26 Dec: A state-level Khel Mahakumbh will be organised on 29 December at Maharana Pratap Sports College, Raipur, and will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami as the Chief Guest.
This was disclosed at a press conference held at the Secretariat here, today, by Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Rekha Arya. Special Principal Secretary, Sports, Abhinav Kumar was also present on the occasion.
Minister Rekha Arya said that this Mahakumbh had been started at the Nyaya Panchayat level and now the state level congregation, the Khel Mahakumbh, would be held on 29 December at the Maharana Pratap Sport College here. The games, which had begun at the Nyaya Panchayat level, were later held at the district level and now they would be held at the state level.
Arya added, “About 3.75 lakh talented players have participated in this Mahakumbh, thus far. Our aim is to prepare our players for the upcoming 38th National Games as well as for the international level. Today, a large number of talented players from our state are participating in many sports and bringing glory to the country as well as the state. It is our endeavour to provide better opportunities to our players and prepare them for the 38th National Games.”
The Sports Minister disclosed that in the Khel Mahakumbh 2022, various games would be held for under-14, under-17 and under-21 age categories for, both, boys and the girls. Sports like athletics, kabaddi, kho-kho, volleyball, football, handball and basketball had been included at the Nyaya Panchayat level and the district level, while games like Judo, Taekwondo, Boxing, Karate, Badminton, Table Tennis, Hockey, Yoga and Malkhamb sports competitions were organised directly at the district level along with pentathlon in the age group of 17-21 years.
Special Principal Secretary Abhinav Kumar added that competitions in athletics, kabaddi, kho-kho and volleyball were organised in 662 Nyaya Panchayats from 1 to 15 October. In these competitions, about 1.3 lakh boys and 98 thousand girls had participated. He added that Athletics, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Volleyball, Football and Badminton competitions were organised directly at the block level in all the 95 Administrative Blocks of the state. In these competitions, over 14 thousand boys and over 11 thousand girls had participated.
Kumar further stated that Athletics, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Volleyball, Football, Handball, Basketball, Judo for boys and girls in under-14, 17, 21 age groups would be organised, now, at the state level. Apart from this, competitions in Taekwondo, Boxing, Karate, Badminton, Table Tennis, Hockey, Yoga and Malkhamb would be organised directly at the state level. Pentathlon events as well as badminton for differently abled boys and girls would also be organised in the age group of 17-21 years in the Mahakumbh. So far, a total of 3.73, lakh players have already participated while about 8,000 players are expected to participate at the state level. Kumar stated that, in the Khel Mahakumbh, the sports department would honour medal winning and participating players and their coaches in international competitions by giving them cash prizes.
According to Rekha Arya, the sports policy had been implemented by the state government to promote sports and sportspersons. In the sports policy, efforts have been made to upgrade the skills of sportspersons, to organise talent hunts, to promote sports, to improve the facilities for sportspersons and their diet as well.
Present on this occasion were Additional Secretary and Director, Sports and Youth Welfare, Jitendra Sonkar, Joint Director, Sports, Dharmendra Bhatt, Joint Director Ajay Agarwal, Deputy Director Shakti Singh, along with officials of Sports Department and Youth Welfare.
