Fatehabad, Dec 13 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday said the 'Sansad Khel Mahotsav' is not merely a sporting competition but a comprehensive health movement that motivates the youth to adopt an active and disciplined lifestyle.
Strengthening the 'Khelo India' and 'Fit India' initiatives at the grassroots level, the 'Sansad Khel Mahotsav' has evolved into a people's movement aimed at building a healthy, self-reliant and disciplined generation, he said.
Reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of transforming sports into a mass movement, the 'Sansad Khel Mahotsav' has proved to be an effective platform for identifying hidden sporting talent in rural areas and enabling young athletes to reach national and international arenas, the Haryana CM said.
He was addressing the closing ceremony of the event in Fatehabad, according to an official release. The CM formally inaugurated the final matches and watched the kabaddi final between teams from Sirsa and Fatehabad.
A total of 45,000 athletes from nine Assembly segments of the Sirsa Lok Sabha constituency had registered for the 'Sansad Khel Mahotsav', out of which 3,604 athletes qualified for the finals across various disciplines.
Addressing the athletes and the gathering, Saini said that the sporting event has placed the Sirsa Lok Sabha constituency among the country's top ten parliamentary constituencies in terms of participation in sports.
He said talent often remains unrealised due to lack of opportunity, and it was with this understanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed to organise the 'Sansad Khel Mahotsav'. Such initiatives, he said, not only promote sporting interest but also motivate the youth to compete at state, national and international levels.
Saini recalled that 11 years ago Haryana had developed a clear sports vision to connect every child with sports, create playgrounds in every village and provide opportunities to every youth passionate about sports.
The objective, he said, was to establish Haryana not only as India's, but the world's sports capital. He added that the prime minister has set the goal of making India a global sporting power by the 2036 Olympics and expressed confidence that Haryana's athletes would win the highest number of medals and bring laurels to the nation.