Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated on Tuesday that athletes and sportspersons must stay away from drugs, emphasising, “Drugs lead to destruction; those who turn to drugs will not achieve anything significant in life.”
The chief minister also cautioned them against smartphone addiction.
Speaking at a ceremony organised at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow to honour athletes who made the country and Uttar Pradesh proud on a global scale, Yogi shared his mantra for success with the youth and athletes.
The chief minister noted that smartphones have become the greatest challenge for today’s young generation, affecting both their time and efforts.
He encouraged the youth to prepare themselves, assuring that both the Central and state governments are creating suitable conditions for their progress.
“Sports facilities are being developed in cities and villages across the state to integrate sports into their lives. Alongside quality training, skilled trainers are also being made available,” he added.
To motivate the youth towards sports, CM Yogi also shared the inspirational stories of the athletes attending the felicitation ceremony.
In the programme called ‘Jinhone Badhaya Desh Ka Maan, Aisi Pratibhaon Ko Samman’, 14 Olympians and Paralympic athletes were felicitated. During the ceremony, Yogi distributed prize money of Rs 22.70 crore to these athletes.
The event was attended by a total of 7 medal-winning Olympians and Paralympians, as well as seven other participants from the Games.
The honoured medal winners included Praveen Kumar, Suhas LY, Ajit Singh, Preeti Pal, Simran, Lalit Upadhyay, and Raj Kumar Pal.
Emphasising that every competition, whether small or large, provides an opportunity for athletes to progress, Yogi said, “Today, the sports environment in the country has transformed. The results of the systematic efforts made over the last decade for the promotion of sports and athletes, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are evident to everyone.”
He added, “The Khelo India Abhiyan, Fit India Movement, and Sansad Khel Pratiyogita launched by Prime Minister Modi have transformed the sports environment across the country.”
CM Yogi highlighted that leagues have now begun at the university level and sports competitions at the village level, offering players a platform to advance. He further noted that Uttar Pradesh has initiated various programmes as part of the national efforts to promote sports, and significant progress is being made in this regard.
Highlighting the infrastructure development for athletes, Yogi stated, “The double-engine government is continuously focusing on this. Currently, Uttar Pradesh has 84 stadiums, 67 multi-purpose halls, 38 swimming pools, 15 synthetic hockey stadiums, and three synthetic running tracks ready.”
He further said that the state has developed two international cricket stadiums, 16 hostels, 47 state-of-the-art gyms, 20 synthetic tennis courts, and 19 dormitories for athletes. Additionally, two judo halls, 13 wrestling halls, six shooting ranges, two indoor volleyball courts, 12 weightlifting halls, and 14 synthetic basketball courts have been established in the state.
The chief minister said that the state government is working with ambitious goals to promote sports and support athletes. The state aims to build playgrounds and open gyms in over 57,000 gram panchayats, mini stadiums in all 826 development blocks, and stadiums in all districts.
“Sports facilities are being provided to athletes at the gram panchayat level,” he said.
Yogi pointed out that former athletes from international, Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth, Asian Games, and World Championships are being appointed as trainers to coach young players. He further said that the state government has introduced the Laxman Award for athletes participating in any international competition and the Rani Laxmibai Award for female athletes, which includes both a cash prize and a citation.
Additionally, the state government provides assistance of Rs 20,000 to players receiving national-level awards and offers monthly financial support to elderly athletes.
Yogi stated that the Eklavya Krida Kosh has been formed in the state and that the first sports university, named after Major Dhyanchand, is being constructed in Meerut.
While encouraging the youth of the state, Yogi emphasised that the government is committed to providing sufficient funding for athletes.
“Youth should immerse themselves in the world of sports and bring glory to the country and the state by winning medals. The Sports department is fully supportive of this endeavour,” he added.
He said that the state government has decided to appoint athletes who elevate the state’s and country's pride in sports as gazetted officers. Specifically, two players will be appointed as deputy superintendents of police, two as naib tehsildars, one as revenue tax officer, and two as district youth welfare officers.
BJP state president Chaudhary Bhupendra Singh, Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, Finance Minister Suresh Khanna, Sports Minister Girish Chandra Yadav, Mayor Sushma Kharakwal, MLA Neeraj Bora, Legislative Council Member Avnish Singh, and BJP Mahanagar president Anand Dwivedi were present on the occasion.
The awardees:
Uttar Pradesh’s athletes delivered outstanding performances at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, securing six medals, including one gold.
— Praveen Kumar, a para high jumper from Gautam Buddha Nagar, won the gold medal at the 2024 Paralympics and received a cash prize of Rs 6 crore.
— Lalit Upadhyay from Varanasi and Rajkumar Pal from Ghazipur, who played for the Indian hockey team, earned bronze medals in the Olympics and were awarded Rs 1 crore each.
— UP IAS officer Suhas LY secured a silver medal in para badminton, while Ajit Singh from Etawah won silver in the javelin throw event in para athletics. Both were awarded Rs 4 crore each.
— Preeti Pal from Muzaffarnagar won bronze medals in both the 100m and 200m events, receiving a total of Rs 4 crore, while Simran from Ghaziabad earned a bronze medal in the 200m race in her category and was awarded Rs 2 crore.
— Parul Chaudhary, Anu Rani, Priyanka Goswami, Prachi Chaudhary, Sakshi Kasana, Dipesh Kumar, and Yash Kumar received incentives of Rs 10 lakh each for bringing honour to Uttar Pradesh through their participation in the Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games.
— CM Yogi also honoured four trainers who coached the athletes for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. The trainers recognised were Gajendra Singh (para athlete), Gaurav Khanna (para badminton), Rakesh Kumar Yadav (para athlete), and Dr Satyapal Singh (para athlete).
