Perform well at Games, CM tells sportspersons

Gorakhpur: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a virtual meeting with the 10 sportspersons from UP who will be representing India at the Tokyo Olympic Games scheduled to start from July 23. Encouraging them to perform well at the Games, the CM announced that once they returned from Japan, he would invite all players and their families to Lucknow where the government would facilitate them.
Recently, the government announced cash rewards for the players if they won medals at the Games, ranging from Rs 6 crore to gold medal winners in individual events, Rs 4 crore to silver medal winners and Rs 2 crore to bronze winners. An additional Rs 10 lakh will be given to each player for participation.
“After speaking with you, I realised that most of you are from Meerut or areas around it. The government has recognised Meerut’s contribution to sports and is establishing a Sports University there. We have also included manufacturing of sports equipment in Meerut under the ‘one district-one product’ scheme,” the CM said, adding that the university would provide a platform for sportspersons and youth.
The 10 sportspersons from UP who are participating in the Olympics this year include Priyanka Goswami, Annu Rani, Saurabh Chaudhary, Meraj Ahmed Khan, Arvind Singh, Seema Punia, Vandana Kataria, Satish Kumar, Shivpal Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhayay.
During his interaction with the sportspersons, the players requested the CM to look at development of grounds and training infrastructure in the state. They also said that while assistance from the government was welcome at this stage of their careers, the government should also ensure provision of facilities and financial aid to players when they were at the start of their careers and in honing talent of the youth.
The CM said that when they return from Japan, they should draft a proposal and submit it to the government so that immediate action can be taken on their suggestions. “PM Naredra Modi wants sportspersons to progress and talented people from different fields should get a stage from the government. He motivated sportspersons with ‘Khelo India Khelo’. The state government is working on this with the revenue, panchayti raj, rural development and sports departments to make playgrounds in every village, along with open gyms,” he said.
The CM said that various competitions are being held under the ‘Khelo India Khelo’ banner to motivate the new generation. The program is being run in schools, colleges and at the village level. Sports kits are being provided to the youth. The construction of playgrounds, stadiums, and mini-stadia is also underway, he said.