Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini today reinforced Haryana’s commitment to sports by opening a national-level sub-junior badminton tournament in the presence of nearly 2,000 young shuttlers from across India.
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Encouraging the Youth: Addressing the participants, the CM stated that victory and defeat are secondary to the spirit of sportsmanship. He emphasized that the state government is working toward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India a sports superpower by the 2036 Olympics.
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Financial Support: To bolster local sports infrastructure and talent scouting, the CM announced a financial contribution of ₹11 lakh for the Sports Promotion Society, Panchkula. The society, chaired by former Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, has been instrumental in organizing such high-profile tournaments to keep youth engaged in productive activities.
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The “Sports Nursery” Hub: CM Saini highlighted that Haryana currently operates 1,489 sports nurseries, training over 37,000 players. He noted that out of India’s six medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, five were won by athletes from Haryana, proving the success of the state’s “Khele Haryana–Badhe Haryana” initiative.
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Ashwani Gupta Memorial: The tournament is held annually in memory of Ashwani Gupta, a former national-level badminton player and son of Gian Chand Gupta, who tragically passed away in 2006. The event serves as a crucial ranking tournament for the Badminton Association of India (BAI) to select players for international championships.
