Every sportsperson is a hero of society and symbol of dedication to nation: Yogi | Lucknow News
Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said every sportsperson is a hero in society and every citizen should embody the spirit of a sportsperson, which is dedication to the nation, discipline, coordination, and the pursuit of excellence in life. Participating in an event to mark National Sports Day in Lucknow, the CM paid tribute to ‘hockey magician’ Major Dhyan Chand on his birth anniversary and felicitated 88 National Games medal winners from UP. He also distributed appointment letters to assistant sports trainers.Speaking about Major Dhyan Chand, Yogi said, “Whenever his name is mentioned, every Indian instinctively thinks of a hockey stick. With his talent and dedication, he gave Indian hockey global recognition by winning three Olympic gold medals, in 1928, 1932, and 1936.” He said real honour for Dhyan Chand was given by the Modi govt and added that it was under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi that the country’s highest sporting honour, the Khel Ratna, was renamed after the hockey legend which was a matter of pride not just for the nation, but also for his birthplace UP. Subsequently, it was his govt which decided to name the state’s first sports university in Meerut after the hockey legend, the CM said.Yogi spoke in detail about the efforts being made by his govt to promote sports in the state. This, he said, included setting up a sports college in every commissionerate. Former Olympians and medallists from the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and National Games are being recruited as coaches, and govt is also establishing playgrounds in every gram panchayat, mini stadiums in every development block, and a stadium in every district. In addition to open gyms across the state, sports kits are also being distributed to Yuvak Mangal Dal and Mahila Mangal Dal.“The state has implemented a 2% horizontal reservation for sportspersons in govt jobs. So far, more than 500 players have been appointed in the UP Police and other departments under this policy,” he said. With programmes like Khelo India, Fit India Movement, and sports competitions at the MP and MLA levels having ushered in a sporting revolution across the country, UP too was implementing a new sports policy to provide players with quality coaching and world-class infrastructure, he added.UP to hold MP, MLA sports events The CM also announced that MP-level sports competitions will be held across the country from Sep 17 to Oct 2, and the state’s Sports and Youth Welfare department will organise MLA-level sports competitions in the first half of Sep. During the programme, the CM also witnessed a hockey match between the Sports Hostel and the Sports College at the Mohammad Shahid Hockey Stadium in Vijayant Khand, Gomtinagar. He inaugurated the competition by striking the first ball.
