In 11 years, over Rs 989 cr invested in sports: Saini

Addressing a national conference at the Sports University of Haryana, CM Nayab Singh Saini said sports had emerged as a vast sector driven by employment, innovation and science, and was no longer confined to players.

Welcoming academicians, experts and sports enthusiasts from across the country, Saini said the conference would help create a roadmap for the country's sports ecosystem. Players from Haryana had brought glory to the state at the global level, he said.

'Indianisation' of sports management did not mean adopting Indian symbols or names, but it involved blending traditional sporting values with modern scientific management, he said, adding that 'Indianisation' rested on four ‘Ms'—modernity, mindset, management and moral values.

The future of sports would be data-driven, tech-enabled and science-supported, making it essential to develop a robust management model suited to Indian conditions, he said.

High-performance centres would be set up in every district and mini sports complexes would be established at the panchayat level, said Saini.

The CM said in the past 11 years, the state government had invested over Rs 989 crore in the sports sector, while a provision of Rs 589.69 crore had been made in the current financial year’s budget.

He said coaching centres and modern stadiums were being built in every village. Currently, 1,489 sports nurseries were being run in the state, where 37,225 athletes were receiving training.

Vice-Chancellor Ashok Kumar said the objective of the two-day seminar was to integrate Indian culture with sports. He also spoke about the achievements of the university, established in 2022.

BJP state president Mohan Lal Badoli, MLAs Krishna Gahlawat, Nikhil Madan and Pawan Kharkhoda, Mayor Rajiv Jain, and international wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt were present.