Gujarat govt will look to boost local economy by hosting bigger and better National Games: Ashwani Kumar
Ashwani Kumar, Secretary - Sports, Youth and Cultural Affairs, Gujarat, stated that the upcoming National Games will ameliorate the sports ecosystem in Gujarat at the Sportstar West Sports Conclave on Saturday.
Published : Sep 25, 2022 13:03 IST
Ashwani Kumar, Secretary, Sports, Gujarat state government with LV Navaneeth, CEO, The Hindu Group. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI
Ahead of the 36th National Games to be held in Gujarat next week, Sportstar held its first-ever West Sports Conclave on Saturday in Ahmedabad.
Addressing the gathering, Ashwani Kumar, Secretary - Sports, Youth and Cultural Affairs, Gujarat Government, stated that the upcoming National Games will ameliorate the sports ecosystem in Gujarat.
About 14,500 people including, 7415 athletes will participate in the 36th National Games being conducted across six cities of Gujarat.
“Gujarat government has rolled out Sports policy and incentives for sports manufacturers in line with the other industries. We will also soon bring a policy for para sports,” said Kumar.
The National Games 2022 are being organised across six cities: Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Gandhinagar. The 36 sports that the event will feature include athletics, field hockey, football, volleyball and tennis. There will also be traditional sports such as kabaddi, kho kho and yogasana.
“For the first time in history, the National Games will comprise 36 disciplines. This edition will be bigger and better. The idea is to boost the local economy [of the six venues] by investing in hotels, catering business, and etc. We’ve roped in three-star, four-star and five-star hotels to provide best facilities to athletes. They won’t be put up in hostels or shabby rooms. This is the mandate from the top. It is not the initiative of an individual, but the entire Gujarat government’s might is behind it,” said Kumar.
The Conclave was held in association with Hero We Care, a Hero Motocorp CSR Initiative, K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management, Indian Oil, Shiv Naresh, Stag International, SBI and LIC.