Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant addressed the gathering at Sportstar’s first Conclave in 2024 in Goa virtually on Friday.
According to him, the state, otherwise known for being a major tourist destination in western India, is gradually turning into a sports hub. “Goa has been primarily known as a tourist destination, but it is set to become an epicentre of sports soon. Last year, Goa successfully hosted numerous national and international sporting events. Recently, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the National Games were held in Goa, which saw more than 10,000 athletes participate across 43 disciplines. Goa also achieved its highest medal tally of 92.”
Incidentally, the state had won only five bronze medals in the 2022 edition of the Games in Gujarat.
Sawant extensively spoke about the importance of inclusivity in the sports ecosystem. He said, “Recently, in Goa, we organised the International Purple Festival, which falls under the ‘Inclusive India’ programme. I felt great talking about it. Here, around 150 sporting activities were organised for my disabled brothers and sisters. I don’t think any state in the country would have arranged these many activities for disabled people. A total of 17 countries from around the world participated in the event. The event became the centre-stage of conversations on inclusivity across sports.”
The CM thanked the Hon’ble Prime Minister for his contribution to sports. He said he shared Narendra Modi’s dream of a ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’, the Government’s vision to see India become a developed country by its 100th year of Independence.
“Modi ji’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 will be inclusive of all. It is a part of Fit India, Skill India and Inclusive India. The role of sports in working towards the vision should also be discussed today (at the Conclave). Goa should also come to be known as a sports destination. We are known for hosting the IFFI International Film Festival, but we must keep in mind that the state has also successfully hosted the Purple Festival, the WTT (Contender) event, and world beach volleyball. The government is also pushing for sports tourism, adventure tourism, and spiritual tourism. To establish the skills for these, we are also planning to have a sports university here in the future.”
The Conclave was held in association with Hero We Care, a Hero Motocorp CSR Initiative, Goa Tourism, Indian Oil, Geno Sports Club, KSG India, State Bank of India, KPMG, Great SportsTech, Casagrand, and NewsX.
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