Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Friday announced to set up a boxing hostel in the State. While speaking on the occasion of the HP Senior Boxing Championship for Men at APG University Campus here, he said that such type of championships provides a platform for the budding players to reassert their dominance in the sport and for emerging the boxers to display their skills.
Virbhadra Singh said that since the State was promoting every type of sports, but Volleyball was considered as the favourite. The State Government was mulling to promote boxing in a big way as the game did not require any big paraphernalia.
“Though many big playgrounds are being constructed in the state to host games as Hockey, Soccer, and Cricket etc, our Government wants that every school must have its own playground so that children can develop the playing skill from the very early stage” he said. At present the state was spending a sum of Rs 50 lakh for developing as many as 50 playgrounds in different schools of the state.
As to the request for constructing a Boxing Academy in the State, the Chief Minister assured that the Government would consider the demand sympathetically.
He also extended facilitations to shooters of the state who performed well in the Korean Asian games, and brought medals for the State. He added that a 10 meter Indoor Shooting range was being set up in Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Shimla.
As many as 120 boxers from all over the State participated in the Championship. The Chief Minister also distributed prizes to the winners of the tournament. The Shimla Team was declared as the best team of the tourney followed by Mandi.