Himachal Pradesh to host rural olympics for sportspersons

SHIMLA: In a bid to encourage sportspersons, the Himachal Pradesh government will host rural olympics which could see participation of up to 40,000 youths, including 20,000 women, state Youth Services and Sports Minister Vikramaditya Singh said here on Tuesday.

The games, likely to start in September, will have a special focus on the state's traditional games, he added.

''A policy would be framed for regulating the adventure sports such as river rafting and paragliding, due to which fatalities have been reported in the past. These mishaps bring a bad name to the state and the sports promoters,'' Singh said at a press conference after a meeting with representatives from various sports bodies of the state.

He said that it would introduce a platform for the redressal of sports-related grievances and the preparation of sports calendar.

This policy, which would be finalised in accordance with the National Sports Policy and Lodha Committee guidelines in the BCCI case, will also ensure transparency in sports bodies and the grouping of all games into three categories, Singh added.

Another initiative on the cards is the 'ek khel project apnon ke Naam', which would encourage the families of martyrs or renowned persons to adopt playgrounds and invest in their infrastructural development, he said. The minister asserted that the creation of high-quality sports infrastructure and other facilities is crucial for preparing the state's youth for competitive sports.

He added that the government would rope in industries to adopt any one game as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.

Singh stressed on the need for transparency in the functioning of sports bodies, selection of sportspersons for various awards and depoliticising sports activities.

He said that the government is also mulling the institution of the 'Sports Minister's Relief Fund', modalities for which are being chalked out. Referring to the ongoing stir of women grapplers against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Singh, the minister said it was a serious matter as the allegations have been levelled by reputed medal-winning wrestlers but the accused has not yet been arrested.

''The previous Congress government in the state had brought a bill to regulate sports but it was not passed. We will consider whether the old bill will be reintroduced or a new bill should replace the same,'' he said.