Anurag Thakur highlights Centre”s push to make India a sporting nation

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday highlighted the Narendra Modi government’s push to develop sports culture in the country and also stressed the role of states in the effort. Various steps have been taken to promote sports and sports talent in the country and the results are now visible, Thakur said in his address at the 13th Assembly of Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University. State Governor and University Chancellor RN Ravi and Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu and University Vice-Chancellor Udhayanidhi Stalin were also present on the occasion. Thakur said PM Modi “always exhorted us to make India a sporting powerhouse.” “That commitment shows whether it motivates our athletes or hits them before or after various championships. Under his (PM) leadership, India’s sports culture has found a lively dynamism, sports infrastructure has been expanded and every effort is being made to advance athletes from the field to the podium through the Khelo India Project. There has also been an incorporation of many sports scientists among support staff into the centers of excellence,” he said. Discussing the change that has been effected to give more importance to coaching and infrastructure than to administration, he said: “When I took up the post of Minister, the first thing I did was give up some administrative posts and space create more coaches for new employees. And we had more than 450 coaches in less than 9 months.” Thakur holds the youth affairs and sport and information and broadcasting departments in the union cabinet. Because physical education is a state subject, he said, if each state began to put more effort into physical education, many physical education graduates would be ready to serve their respective states. Furthermore, with the type of development that Indian medicine and science has made, particularly in biomedical research and development, quality clinical care, public health studies and interventions, the “approach to training in sport has one Paradigm shift accomplished,” he added. “Today, we not only build and train our athletes to compete, we explore the unimaginable possibility of making them into high-level athletes who outperform the world’s best,” he said, adding that various sports science centers have recently been inaugurated parts of the Landes would be transformative and an important step in providing athletes with the best facilities and building sports culture in the country. Thakur also highlighted India’s improved performances in various sports tournaments including Tokyo Olympics, Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Thomas Cup victory, Indian Women’s U-19-T20 World Cup win and so on. The country has also successfully hosted high-profile sporting events, including last year’s 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad, he stressed. He also praised the “exalted” sporting culture in Tamil Nadu, saying players such as chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, paddler Sharath Kamal and squash player Joshna Chinnappa had made the state and the country worldwide proud.

Later, the governor awarded degrees and medals to the graduates.

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