Sports fest inaugurated in Rania under ‘Fit Yuva for Viksit Bharat’ drive

Rajya Sabha MP Subhash Barala inaugurated a sports festival on Thursday at the Balasar village stadium in Rania block under the “Fit Yuva for Viksit Bharat” programme. More than two dozen sporting events will be organised during the festival, with nearly 1,600 players showcasing their talent.

Speaking at the event, Barala said Haryana was known as the nursery of sportspersons and that Sirsa district had produced several international players. He said many rural talents went unnoticed due to lack of proper platforms. To address this, the Central and state governments had launched block-level sports festivals to encourage youth participation. Winners at the block level would get a chance to compete at the Assembly, district, and state levels.

Barala said sports helped guide the youth in the right direction. “Some of our youngsters have lost their way, but the sports field can help bring them back on track,” he said. He urged villagers to motivate the local youth to take part in sports so that the campaign achieved its true purpose. Responding to a demand from Balasar Sarpanch Dharmapal, Barala announced Rs 5 lakh for the development of the village stadium and another Rs 5 lakh for other development works in the village.

Sirsa Lok Sabha sports coordinator and Harcofed chairman Ved Phoolan said the government’s sports promotion policies had changed old mindsets. “Earlier it was said that those who study will become kings, but now people say those who play will also become kings,” he said. He added that 45,000 youths from the parliamentary constituency had registered for the sports festival. The players securing first or second positions at the block level will qualify for the assembly-level competitions and top performers there will compete at the Lok Sabha level. The winning team at the Lok Sabha level will receive Rs 71,000, and the runner-up team will get Rs 41,000. He also announced that Barala would sponsor all expenses for three years for the athletes who broke state records.

The event began with a torch-lighting ceremony and cultural performances by schoolgirls. A matka (pot) race was held among rural women, where Krishna Devi won first place, Nirmala Devi came second and Anju Wala stood third. Barala presented medals and cash prizes to the winners. The festival opened with a kabaddi match between the teams of Bani and Bahia villages, with Bani emerging as the winner.