Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Sarbananda Sonowal has said that Guwahati will host the SAARC games, involving all the SAARC countries and also the Himalayan Region Sports Competition that involves Nepal and Bhutan besides eight North-Eastern States, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
The Union Minister, who was in Guwahati said this on Saturday and added that the Indian Olympic Association, during its recent meeting, has decided to hold SAARC games in Guwahati.“The Himalayan Region sports competition involving eight North-Eastern States, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh, Nepal and Bhutan will also held in Guwahati. We will extend all possible support to this event,” said the Minister.
Sonowal, however, did not specify the dates for holding the events. Sonowal, who is a lok Sabha MP from lakhimpur constituency in Assam, also said that his Ministry has urged the Union Ministry of Human resource Development (HRD) to devise a system of awarding marks for sports in school curriculum.Sonowal further said that Guwahati will also hoist the National Youth Festival from January 8 to 12. “Prominent sports personalities like Virendra Sehwag, Mary Kom, Sushil Kumar and others will attend the event. The event will see a turnout of over 3,000 delegates which will include students from 10 countries studying in India,” Sonowal said adding that students from Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, IIMs and IITs will also participate in the youth festival.
“The Union Sports Ministry has planned to connect over six lakh villages of the country with sporting infrastructure. In 7,000 plus blocks across the country indoor and outdoor stadiums will be made. We have requested the State Governments to identify suitable lands for the project. The Government will spend around Rs 1.6 crore on each stadium. A physical education teacher will be appointed for the purpose,” he said.
The Minister said that a football and archery academy will be set up in North-East India. “We will request the HRD Ministry to devise system of marks for sports in the school. There is need for the study of sports medicine and sports sciences,” he said adding that the idea is to make sports a way of life and make India a sporting hub of the world.
Meanwhile, ace Indian boxer l Sarita Devi said that she is preparing for gold in the Rio Games.The Boxer from Manipur, who will be fighting in the 60kg weight category in Rio, has been handed a one year ban by the AIBA. Sarita was miffed after losing her lightweight semi-final bout with South Korea’s Park Ji-na in the Asian Games.“The whole country stood by me, the Government and everyone just supported me,” said Sarita, who was also in Guwahati on Saturday. The ace boxer said that she is regaining her strides and training for Rio de Janeiro games.