April 28, 2007
Unleash National Sports Movement: Manmohan Singh
New Delhi
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday called upon the country's
sports administrators to "unleash" a new nationwide "wave of sports
consciousness and development" involving the young.
He also said that sports and games should be made compulsory in
schools and colleges.
"I do believe we need a new social compact involving all
stakeholders to launch a nationwide movement of youth in sports," he
said after opening the newly built Olympic Bhavan of the Indian
Olympic Association (IOA) here.
"I would like the Indian Olympic Association to work closely with
the government at the centre and in the states and unleash a new
wave of sports consciousness and sports development," the prime
minister said in the presence of International Olympic Council (IOA)
president Jacques Rogge.
Manmohan Singh said that more involvement of youth was the need of
the hour.
"I am sure that given the right opportunity, our youth will show
impressive results. I suggest that we should seriously think of
making sports and games a compulsory part of the educational
syllabus in our schools and colleges.
"Countries that stand out in the world of sports are the ones that
have in fact made them an integral part of their educational
curricula.
"By doing this we will not only promote the cause of the Olympic
Movement in India but also enable our youth to remain healthy and
physically fit. The advancement of the Olympic Movement should be
seen as advancement of the cause of healthy living," he said.
Talking specifically, Manmohan Singh said that India should pay
"much greater attention" to athletics and gymnastics, apart from
popular games like cricket.
"We are yet to fully harness the talent of our youth in this vast
field, especially in the areas of games that figure at the Olympics.
Our performances in hockey and other disciplines of sports and games
have to improve substantially to enable our sportspersons win more
Olympic medals," he said.
India has not done exceedingly well in athletics at the world level
and figure nowhere in gymnastics.
In hockey the eight-time Olympic champion nation has gone down
pathetically, with the last gold medal coming in as far back as
1980. In football, India is ranked an abysmal 165th.
Manmohan Singh hoped that the opening of the Olympic Bhavan would
inspire the sports administrators and the country to strive for
greater goals.
"I hope this Bhavan will be a source of inspiration, and will spur
the movement's growth in India," he said, and complimented IOA
president Suresh Kalmadi for his efforts.
"I am confident that this Bhavan will make a substantial
contribution to the organization of the Commonwealth Games (allotted
to Delhi in 2010). We have had the experience of hosting the Asian
Games in 1982 under the dynamic leadership of late prime minister of
India Indira Gandhi," he said.
"What we could do in 1982 can be replicated in a much larger scale.
It is unfortunate that Delhi has missed an opportunity this time,
but I am sure there will be other opportunities in the future," he
said, referring to Delhi losing the 2014 Asian Games bid to South
Korea's Incheon city.
On Kalmadi's request to allot Rs.3 billion for athletes' training
every year till 2010 Commonwealth Games, Mamohan Singh said: "He has
my assurance that our government will do all that is within our
power to exploit the vast untapped potential that undoubtedly lies
in this area. But it would not be proper for me to comment on
specific proposals having financial implications."
Kalmadi, in his inaugural speech, announced that Delhi would bid for
the 2020 Olympic Games.
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