STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Sports initiatives in the State of Jammu and Kashmir have received a major boost in the last five months. There is a perceptible change the outlook of the Sports Council towards sports and sportspersons.
Mitali, a National Games Gold Medalist who recently attended the Sports Coaching Course at NIS Patiala, sponsored by the Sports Council said, “I have been playing for over a decade now but none of the previous regimes thought about training and employing talented sports persons. Hopefully this course at NIS will make my future secure and enhance my employability.”
The positive initiatives of the Sports Department under Sports Minister Imran Ansari which have been actively backed by the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in her capacity as President of the Sports Council have ushered in a new era of hope and recognition for the sports icons. The encouragement and the cash awards to sportspersons like Kickboxer Tajamul, Chess Player Meenal Gupta, and Olympian Chain Singh have gone down very well with the sporting community,” said Kuldeep Handoo who coaches the Indian Wushu team. The ongoing ‘Khelo India’ Scheme has also become a big hit inspite of harsh winter conditions. More than one thousand players in twelve games are participating in the coaching camps at district level. Interestingly, it is Council’s Coaching staff from Jammu which is taking the classes in Kashmir, probably for the first time during winter.
The Sports Council has also made its presence felt on the social media with the launching of its own Facebook and Twitter pages that have become interactive platforms for the playing community. The Jammu district Olympics organised by DC Jammu Simrandeep Singh in his capacity as Chairman of District Sports Council in which around 4,000 players participated over a period of ten days is now being replicated in other districts as well. Udhampur shall be holding the District Olympics next month.
The Sports Council also initiated the process of buying sports equipment after a gap of ten years. In order to promote transparency, the council has involved eminent sportspersons like Indian cricketer Parvez Rasool, Cyclist Akbar Khan and Arjuna Awardee Gymnast Krupali Singh besides a host of other sports persons in selecting the sports equipments. “Never seen such transparency where sportspersons of repute have been invited to select the sports material”, Cricketer Parvez Rasool had remarked during the Sports Council Purchase Committee meeting.
Aman Sharma, BasketballCoach of Sports Authority of India, who recently led J&K teams for a successful spree of matches in Nationals at Puducherry also praised the dynamism of the Sports Council. “It was after a gap of ten years that the Basketball teams got the much needed funding and support for participating in National Championship. It is noteworthy that the Basketball girls’ team had around eight players from Kashmir. These sports friendly initiatives will not only restore the dignity of the sportspersons but also enhance their spirit and confidence,” he added.