AAP government gave cash awards to the players who brought laurels to India in 2024 Olympics and Paralympics
New Delhi: Five Delhi-based athletes and a coach who helped India win the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics were recognized by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration by receiving a set sum as part of a monetary incentive program.
Chief Minister Atishi gave Sharad Kumar a check for Rs 2 crore, Aman a cheque for Rs 1 crore, Sharad Kumar’s coach Sajal Kumar Rai, Tulika Maan, and Vikas Singh a cheque for Rs 10 lakh apiece, and Amoj Jacob a cheque for Rs 5 lakh. The government disbursed a total of Rs 3.35 crore to these athletes.
On this occasion, children from the Delhi Sports School were also in attendance. The youngsters asked the acclaimed athletes questions and received advice on how to succeed in national and international sporting competitions.
Chief Minister Atishi said at the ceremony that the AAP government has done all in its power to help and develop the skills of up-and-coming international athletes in Delhi over the last ten years. CM Atishi said, “I often believe that our athletes, who put in a lot of effort day and night to reach their objectives and compete, may not understand the tremendous pride and hope that millions of Indians have when they compete in the Olympics or any other international event.
Millions of people in our nation pay great attention to the performances of our athletes. Every time an Indian athlete takes home a medal, takes the podium, and the Indian tricolor is hoisted, the whole country unites. Nobody’s eyes do not start to flood up with tears at that time. “Athletes have an unmatched ability to emotionally unite and connect the nation,” she said.
“We feel tremendous pride when we witness our athletes winning medals at the Olympics or Asian Games,” CM Atishi said. However, there is also a persistent ache in the heart: why do smaller nations often take home many more medals than India, a huge nation with a wealth of young, gifted athletes?
She said, “When we talk to athletes, it’s often brought up that our governments’ failures to provide our gifted athletes with the proper assistance are to blame, not them. Athletes’ and children’s talent is vital, but sports training itself is quite costly, whether it includes food, training, or equipment. I believe that even the most gifted kids find it difficult to succeed if their family does not encourage them from an early age.
The chief minister of Delhi also conveyed her joy, saying that the AAP-led Delhi government had done all in its power to assist athletes at the highest levels, both domestically and internationally, throughout the last ten years. “We established the Delhi Sports School two years ago, where children are being trained in ten Olympic sports,” she said. All Olympic athletes are welcome to come see the sports school. Come see the intense training these kids go through at such a young age if you have the chance. Seeing how hard they are working here will make you feel proud.
According to the Chief Minister, the youngsters told her during her visit a few days ago that they would like additional training sessions since they only get two a day and are ready to put in more effort. “I have no doubt that these kids will raise India’s tricolor at the Olympics in the upcoming years,” she said. We have worked to train students from other Delhi government schools in addition to those from our sports school. We introduced the Play and Progress program to assist our young athletes till they turn 17. I’m happy to report that since the program’s launch in 2018, we have given more than Rs31 crore in support to more than 1,400 athletes.
“We introduced the Mission Excellence initiative, which offers athletes financial aid of up to Rs16 lakh for players who have completed their education and are getting ready for international events. Over Rs 25 crore has been spent on 394 athletes since 2018 as part of this initiative,” she said.
CM Atishi also emphasized how Delhi’s sports infrastructure has advanced significantly. “A few years ago, when we opened our first hockey astroturf field, a sports journalist made an insightful comment,” she said, sharing anecdotally. He said that whereas international hockey is played on artificial turf, Indian student training facilities mostly employ grass, which is why the country used to win a lot of hockey medals. Grass and artificial turf have very different game speeds, with the former allowing for a far quicker game.
“The reporter warned me that I may not fully comprehend the scope of our actions. With the opening of the astroturf field at Ghumanhera, we have opened the door for India to win several hockey Olympic golds, as kids can now practice on turf that meets international standards. In the same vein, we have always prioritized giving our young athletes the best assistance possible, whether it be on football fields, synthetic tracks, or swimming pools,” she said.
According to CM Atishi, our sports school children got the chance to engage with Olympians today. “I hope the students gained immense inspiration and learned a lot from these Olympians,” she said, characterizing the interaction as unusual. In my ideal future, Delhi will generate so many Olympic gold medalists that there won’t be enough room on stage for them all when these pupils compete internationally. The pupils at our Delhi Sports School have raised the expectations of not only Delhi but the whole nation, who anticipate that you will increase India’s medal total to triple digits.”
