Union Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has taken a dig at Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to officially recognise hockey as National Game.
Hockey is the unofficial national game of the country; and with Odisha all set to host the World Cup in November, Patnaik has asked the Prime Minister to make the status official.
Rathore, who unveiled the Kabaddi Masters 2018 trophy in Dubai on Friday, said. “In India, every sports has a place. There was a time when people thought that no sport will grow like cricket. Now, several sports are growing. Is it necessary to give a official designation… then only people play and love itIJ”.
“Ask him (Patnaik) that why didn’t they (the State Government) ask the people of country to do yoga which is 1,000 years old. Ask about his views on this,” he added.
Rathore also spoke about his experience of witnessing kabaddi increasing its stature.
The former Olympian said this indigenous sport has got all the ingredients to become an Olympic sport.