Chandigarh, 20 February || TC - Haryana Sports Minister, Sh Gaurav Gautam, said that Haryana has become a sports powerhouse. To ensure that players win more medals at global events like the Olympics, World Championships, Asian, and Commonwealth Games, the government is ramping up efforts to provide more advanced sports facilities.
As part of this initiative, sports nurseries in the state will be made more effective. Players’ attendance will now be monitored through a biometric system. This will not only bring greater transparency but will also ensure that diet allowances are distributed only to eligible players after confirming their attendance. The biometric attendance system will be initially launched at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Stadium in Panchkula. On success of this system, it will be expanded to other stadiums and schools with sports nurseries across Haryana.
Sports Minister Sh. Gaurav Gautam said that the Sports Department will provide insurance for players to ensure they receive proper treatment in case of injury. He emphasized that with continuous practice, these players will be able to win medals for the state at both national and international levels.
He said that the district-level stadiums and the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Stadiums at the block level will be kept sparkling clean. The playgrounds will be repaired, and the maintenance of the buildings will be carried out efficiently. To ensure smooth progress, the engineering wing of the Sports Department will be further strengthened. SDOs and JEs will be recruited to prevent any delays in the construction of multipurpose halls and other buildings at the stadiums.
He said that soon, center of excellence in wrestling will be established in Sonipat and center of excellence in boxing in Panipat, alongwith with hostel facilities for players. This initiative will make it easier for players to stay and focus on their training. He said that to promote martial arts, the Banda Singh Bahadur Martial Arts School will be established in Yamunanagar.
Sports Minister Sh Gaurav Gautam directed the Director Sports as well as Deputy Director to visit the districts, assess the sports stadiums, and prepare a detailed report. They are also to arrange for the necessary sports equipment and other resources accordingly. Additionally, a list should be compiled of sports trainers who are negligent in providing proper training to the players.
He directed that an annual sports calendar be created after thorough preparations. In any district where games are scheduled, preparations should begin at least one month in advance to ensure that players participating in the competition do not face any inconvenience. During the meeting, it was informed that a state-level yoga competition will be held in Panchkula from March 3 to 5, with 1,000 to 1,500 players expected to participate.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary of the Sports Department Sh Navdeep Virk, Director Sports Sh Sanjeev Verma, and other officers.