The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry launched the two-day 'Virtual FICCI TURF-2020' Global Sports Summit.
It was inaugurated on Tuesday by Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Kiran Rijiju. State's Sports and Youth Welfare Minister, Yashodhara Raje Scindia was also present on the occasion. For the first time in this conference, a sports and fitness exhibition was organized through webinars. Also, Sports Award was given by Hefikki for achievements of Indian players.
The Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Kiran Rijiju said that the sports industry can play an important role in changing India's GDP. He said that the lack of sports culture has slowed us down. A sporting country can be made not only by the contribution of the state but also by the participation of the people. The new education policy also talks about promoting sports.
State Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia said that Madhya Pradesh state has emerged as a change-maker in sports at present. Earlier, Madhya Pradesh had no name in the field of sports, but under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, sports have been given a new direction. Today, the state has Olympic players with better infrastructure, international level sports facilities and coaches.
Scindia said that we have proved that the state government can also become a change maker in sports. He said that at present 19 different sports academies are functioning in the state. When the first women's hockey academy was started in 2006, women's hockey was not very popular. In the current Indian women's team, 60 per cent of the players belong to Madhya Pradesh State Academy. It is a matter of pride for us. The state is constantly taking medals in various sports at the international level.