National Youth Games may be a reality in UP next year
LUCKNOW: Before the National Games in 2021, the first-ever National Youth Games may be a reality in Uttar Pradesh in 2019 as the state government has asked the UP sports directorate to submit a proposal in this regard. The Games would be the first big multi-discipline sporting extravaganza in UP since Independence.
The Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association (UPOA) has proposed to conduct the National Youth Games in November-December 2019. The government has asked its nodal agency Uttar Pradesh Sports Directorate to prepare a plan in this connection.
The Games couldn’t happen in 2009 in Bangalore even after an official announcement by the then Karnataka government.
“National Youth Games would be the best way to channelise the energy of youths (under-18) through sports. This will also help raise government’s commitment in support of youth power in the state,” UPOA’s secretary-general Anandeshwar Pandey said on Monday.
“Getting the hosting rights of the National Youth Games won’t be a problem for the UPOA once we have the approval of the state government for its conduct,” said Pandey, who also happens to be the treasurer of the Indian Olympic Association.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath are talking about the welfare of youths. The conduct of the National Youth Games will give young sportspersons good exposure and competition before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” said Pandey.
“Once the infrastructure is ready for the 2019 Games, there would be no problem in conducting the National Games in 2021 in the state in a big manner,” he said.
In terms of infrastructure, required for the National Youth Games, Uttar Pradesh is quite rich as world class sporting centres are available in Allahabad, Saifai, Lucknow and Kanpur. “We need minimum alteration to have some new sporting infrastructure as we already have enough places in the state to conduct the Games,” Pandey said.
He, however, admitted that besides Allahabad, Ramgarh Taal in Gorakhpur was best suited for the conduct of water sports events like canoeing, kayaking etc. “The state government has sanctioned Rs 25 crore for Ramgarh Taal. I find it as the best suited place for water sports. After the Games, the place will be developed as a hub of water sports in the state,” he said.
The UPOA has also decided to hold those events in the Games for which the state has enough infrastructures. Events of archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, cycling, football, fencing, gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo, kabaddi, kho-kho, tennis, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling are expected to be conducted during the Games.
Sportspersons born on or after January 1, 1990, will be eligible to take part in the Games. After Independence, UP has not conducted any Games of this nature, except the 2016 Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup, when the Akhilesh Yadav-led government fully financed the event and went on spending several crores of rupees for the construction of a new hockey stadium in Gomti Nagar and upgradation of the existing stadium at the Guru Govind Singh Sports College here.
THE UTTAR PRADESH
OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION (UPOA) HAS PROPOSED TO CONDUCT THE NATIONAL YOUTH GAMES IN NOVEMBERDECEMBER 2019. THE GOVERNMENT HAS ASKED ITS NODAL AGENCY UTTAR PRADESH SPORTS DIRECTORATE TO PREPARE A PLAN IN THIS CONNECTION.