Sports Minister launches School and College Games

Delivering his speech at a felicitation function of the Indian football team for the U-17 World Cup, beginning here on Friday, Rathore said the youth of this country will have to be provided platforms to show their talent. “The way we looked at sports will have to be changed. 

All the stakeholders will have to be involved in taking Indian sports to a new level. The government will provide the platform for the young people to take up sports,” he said. 

“In this regard, the government has decided to start for the first time the Khelo India National School Games in December 2017 and Khelo India National College Games in January 2018. These will be annual events. This we are doing to tap talent at the school and college levels. 

Without doing this we will not be able to nurture talent,” Rathore added. He said the corporate houses will be involved in this endeavour and the Games will be telecast live. 

Elaborating the plan of the government, the sports minister said, “We want to hold these Games in a big way like the Asian Games or Pan American Games. From these Games, 1000 children will be selected and be given Rs 5 lakh for eight years for their training and each year 1000 children more will be added. 

“These days miracles do not happen in sports. We have to find out young talents and nurture them so that miracles happen.” Rathore, who won an individual silver medal in men’s double trap shooting event at the 2004 Athens Olympics, asked the India U-17 football team members to play to win in the upcoming tournament.