New Delhi [India], January 3 (ANI): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government honoured five players and a coach from Delhi who brought glory to India in the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics by providing them with a fixed amount under a cash incentive scheme.
Chief Minister Atishi awarded cheque of Rs 2 crore to Sharad Kumar, Rs 1 crore to Aman, Rs 10 lakh each to Sharad Kumar’s coach Sajal Kumar Rai, Tulika Maan, and Vikas Singh, and Rs 5 lakh to Amoj Jacob. In total, Rs 3.35 crore was distributed among these athletes by the government.
Children from the Delhi Sports School were also present on this occasion. The honored athletes shared tips with the children on achieving success in national and international sports events and answered their questions.
Speaking at the event, Chief Minister Atishi said that over the past 10 years, the AAP government has made every effort to support and nurture the talent of new and international-level athletes in Delhi. CM Atishi further remarked, “I often feel that our athletes, who work tirelessly day and night to achieve their goals and participate in competitions, may not realize the immense hope and pride millions of Indians feel when they compete at the Olympics or any international event.
“There are millions in this country who follow our athletes’ performances closely. Whenever an Indian athlete wins a medal, stands on the podium, and the Indian tricolour is raised, it is a moment of unity for the entire nation. At that moment, there is no one whose eyes do not well up with tears. The role athletes play in uniting and connecting the country emotionally is unparalleled,” she stated.
CM Atishi said, “When we see our athletes winning medals at the Olympics or Asian Games, we feel immense pride. But at the same time, there is a lingering pain in the heart: India is such a large country with so many talented athletes and youth, yet why is it that smaller countries often win far more medals than us?”
She further stated, “In conversations with athletes, it often comes up that the fault does not lie with them but with the shortcomings of our governments, which have failed to support our talented athletes adequately. Talent among children and athletes is crucial, but sports training itself is very expensive — whether it is equipment, training, or diet. I feel that if families do not support their children from a very young age, even the most talented ones struggle to move forward.”
The Delhi Chief Minister further expressed her happiness, stating that over the past 10 years, the AAP-led Delhi government has made every effort to provide maximum support to both new and international-level athletes. She added, “Two years ago, we established the Delhi Sports School, where children are being trained in 10 Olympic sports. I invite all Olympic athletes to visit the sports school. If you have the opportunity, please come and witness the rigorous training these children undergo at such a young age. It will fill you with pride to see how hard they are working here.”
The Chief Minister stated that a few days ago, during her visit, the children expressed their desire for more training sessions, as they currently have only two per day and are eager to work harder. She continued, “I am confident that in the coming years, these children will raise India’s tricolour at the Olympics. It’s not just the children of our sports school; we have also made efforts to train children from other Delhi government schools. For our young athletes, we launched the Play and Progress scheme to support players up to the age of 17. I am pleased to share that since the scheme’s inception in 2018, we have supported over 1,400 athletes, providing them with assistance totalling more than Rs31 crore.”
“For players who have graduated from school and are preparing for international competitions, we launched the Mission Excellence program, which provides financial assistance of up to Rs16 lakh to athletes. Since 2018, under this program, 394 athletes have been supported with over Rs25 crore spent on them,” she added.
CM Atishi also highlighted the significant development of sports infrastructure in Delhi. She shared an anecdote, saying, “A few years ago, when we inaugurated our first hockey astroturf field, a sports journalist made an insightful comment. He pointed out that India used to win many medals in hockey, but the number declined because international hockey is played on astroturf, while training facilities for students in India largely used grass. The speed of the game on grass and astroturf differs greatly, with astroturf enabling a much faster-paced game.”
“The journalist told me that I might not realize the magnitude of what we had done. By inaugurating the astroturf field in Ghumanhera, we’ve paved the way for many Olympic golds in hockey for India, as students now have the opportunity to train on international-standard turf. Similarly, whether it is swimming, synthetic tracks, or football grounds, our focus has always been on providing maximum support to our young athletes,” she added.
CM Atishi said that today, the students of our sports school had the opportunity to interact with Olympians. She described the conversation as unique and added, “I hope the students gained immense inspiration and learned a lot from these Olympians. I envision a future where, when these students compete at the international level, Delhi produces so many Olympic gold medalists that there won’t be enough space on stage for them all. Not only Delhi but the entire country has high hopes from the students of our Delhi Sports School, expecting that you will elevate India’s medal tally to triple digits.” (ANI)
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