India’s first ever Model Sports Village launched
Sports: A Way of Life NGO has been running a campaign to increase sports literacy in India for last several years and now it is advising IMT Ghaziabad on implementing the country’s first Model Sports Village (Adarsh Khel Grame). Institute of Management and Technology IMT has selected Bahadarpur and Khedi Viran for Adarsh Khel Gram.
IMT has mega sports plan for this twin village where it has been now trying to evolve sports culture and establish these twin villages on country’s sporting map. Formal
launching of first Model Sports village was held on January 16, 2020 at India Habitat Centre, Kasurina Hall, New Delhi in the august presence of dozens of Arjuna Awardees, Dronacharya Awardees and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardees.
Highlighting the plan, Dr Kanishka Pandey, Head, Sports Research Center, IMT Ghaziabad, said that the twin villages of Bahadurpur and Khedi Viran is about nine kilometers from Muzaffarnagar city, and it has been selected as the country’s first Model Sports Village with a goal to change the face of sports in India.the following work to promote sports will be carried out: -
▶An appeal will be issued to the parents to motivate the children to play.
▶All children from this village will be distributed free booklets like Khel Praveshika and Know Sports and the sports calendar both in Hindi and English so that sports reaches every home here.
▶IMT will develop every courtyard and Varamdah of every house as primary sports ground management,
▶Olympic related sports equipment will be provided to every child.
▶Discussion of the games will be mandatory agenda for Chaupal discussion
▶Sports magazines, newspapers and TV will be made available.
▶Only sports channels will be shown on the TV here and Olympic and national
level sports will be shown. Besides,people can also watch sports films from time to time.
▶To increase rural sports, a sports magazine will be published every month.
▶For promoting sports in this village, the village’s garden, courtyard, verandah and enclosure will be developed as a nursery for outdoor sports.
▶From time to time, Arjuna Awardee would give lectures about various nuances of the games and motivate them to participate.
▶A doctor will be provided in the village to cure sports injury during the game.
▶Grounds will be developed by constantly following with the government officials. The thrust will for construction of large sports grounds. Talent hunting will be carried by organising various sports events such as inter and intra village competition. Talented players will be selected and will be given special training so that they win medals at the state and national level.
Speaking on the occasion, Ashish K Bhattacharya, Director, IMT Ghaziabad, said that there is a plan to popularise the Olympics related games in Model Sports Village. IMT is the first institute in the country to set up a Sports Research Center to evolve sports culture in the country. I hope that
lot of people will get inspired by this Model Sports Village, they will follow the suit and will carry out work in other villages of the country too.
PN Arora, Vice President, Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association appreciated IMT Ghaziabad, Sports: A way of Life and Dr Kanishka Pandey for coming out with such an innovative idea and going ahead with its plan with no
loss of time. He further added that Model Sports Village and sports literacy mission that the NGO has been running will be a milestone in time to come.
Devendra Jhajhadia, Khel Ratna (Athletics) said that IMT Ghaziabad has moved towards making the country’s first Model Sports Village and it is a tireless work that need to be sustained if we wish to see India as a sports super power.
Former Hockey Player and Arjuna Awardees Ashok Dhyanchand congratulated Dr Kanishka Pandey and IMT for this commendable work. He further added that this campaign will improve our performance in national and international competitions.