Anurag takes over as state Olympic association prez

Anurag Thakur, former Union Sports Minister, has been unanimously elected as president of Himachal Pradesh Olympic Association (HPOA). In the HPOA elections held here today, the BJP MP from Hamirpur took over the baton from Virender Kanwar, who was the agriculture minister in the previous BJP government. All other office-bearers, including Rajesh Bhandari as general secretary, Balbir Verma as senior vice-president, Amitabh Sharma as treasurer, Ishwar Rohal, Usha Barwalia and Narendra Atri as vice-presidents, were also elected unanimously.

Sports administrators see the return of Thakur to HPOA as a good sign for sports in the state. Thakur has already headed HPOA for one term before Kanwar. “Having Anurag Thakur as HPOA president could be the turning point for sports in the state. His experience as a sports administrator and his connections will give a new lease of life to sports in the state,” said Ishwar Rohal, secretary of the HP State Rifle Association.

The state has failed to make much headway in sport over the years. It has not been able to break even into the top-20 states in National Games. The state needs a big push for creating sporting infrastructure and appointing coaches to improve its standing at the national level sporting events. “The president has asked us to meet the Chief Minster and Sports Minister with our demands. His presence as HPOA president will put pressure on the largely unresponsive state sports machinery to act,” said Rohal.

According to Bhandari, Thakur outlined strengthening sports infrastructure across the state, increasing the number of qualified coaches to train athletes in all Olympic sports, promoting grassroots participation to nurture young talent and creating a self-sustaining model for the development and management of Olympic sports as his top priorities. Thakur also highlighted the state’s unique potential in high-altitude and endurance sports and emphasised the need to prioritise these disciplines in the state’s sports development agenda.