Hry to conduct sports infra survey, back local athletes

Gurgaon: The Haryana government is conducting a survey to find out which sport is played where, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Tuesday. This mapping, he said, will help the government improve sports infrastructure in the areas and support local athletes.
At a promotional event for the Khelo India Youth Games 2021 in Gurgaon on Tuesday, sports minister Sandeep Singh said, “The chief minister is getting the mapping done. It will find out what people play in which area. Accordingly, the government will provide the ground, the coaches and other facilities. We want to promote those games; we want to promote those athletes.” Speaking on similar lines, Khattar told the gathering, “The sports department is conducting the mapping. Depending on the interest of the people of a particular area, we will increase facilities and sports infrastructure.”
The youth games are scheduled from June 4-13 in Panchkula. The event on Tuesday was aimed at spreading awareness about the games, especially in NCR. More than 8,500 athletes will participate in the games, with some of the competitions held in Chandigarh, Ambala, Shahabad, and Delhi, apart from Panchkula.
“People should come in big numbers to watch the event and boost the players. Students, especially, should come… People from across the country will flock to the state and give us a chance to witness a ‘mini India’ and promote unity,” the CM said.
Khattar also spoke about the need to make Haryana a “sports hub” for the country. Referring to the lack of medals in international events compared to other countries, the CM said it was up to Haryana to increase this tally. “If we get more medals, athletes from other states will take inspiration from us and the performance of India will improve at the international stage,” he added.
Two days ago, another event in Panchkula saw the launch of the mascot, logo, jersey and the theme song of the Khelo India Youth Games 2021, which is being organised jointly by the state government, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Union ministry of youth affairs and sports.