Srinagar, Aug 10: Jammu and Kashmir government is working to turn sports into a culture of excellence by taking athletes from the playground to the podium, Commissioner/Secretary Youth Services and Sports Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said on Monday.
Addressing a Special Cash Award Ceremony for outstanding sportspersons at SKICC Srinagar, Choudhary said the government’s sports strategy is focused on identifying talent early, strengthening infrastructure and providing athletes with the support needed to reach the international stage.
“Today’s programme is to promote the culture of excellence in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Choudhary said more than Rs 280 crore is being invested in strengthening the sports ecosystem, including Rs 250 crore for sports infrastructure and Rs 20 crore for team development.
He said J&K’s geography offered opportunities across disciplines such as winter sports, water sports, athletics and mountaineering, while a National Centre of Excellence had also been established to provide better facilities and opportunities to young athletes.
The Commissioner/Secretary said integrating sports with education was a key part of the government’s strategy so that talent could be identified among schoolchildren and promoted from an early stage.
He said the government also wanted to make sports a mass movement by encouraging wider public participation and using sports as a vehicle for social and economic development.
“Our ambition, the vision of the government, is that every child, every student, every athlete, who has the potential to go to the international level, should be provided with the support infrastructure, training support, development, financial support, or whatever the requirement is,” he said.
Choudhary said the J&K Sports Council’s focus would extend from infrastructure to comprehensive athlete development.
He also highlighted the incentives under the J&K sports policy, including Rs 1 crore for Olympic medals and Rs 50 lakh for Asian Games medals, besides rewards for achievements at other national and international levels.
The Commissioner/Secretary YSS welcomed the awardees, sportspersons, students and young athletes attending the ceremony and thanked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his support in promoting sports in J&K—(KNO)
