Eager to see real sporting action in near future: Rijiju

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday inspected the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to check the work in progress and said he is eagerly waiting to see real sporting action in near future.

 Sporting action in the country has been on hold since March, when everything was shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Not only in the country, sporting action all across the world had come to an unprecedented halt. From athletics, to football, to cricket, the pandemic merely left any stone unturned.

 The national camps for hockey, boxing and athletics resumed in various Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres across the country earlier this month with all precautions and the minister is hopeful that events will follow soon.

“The return of the athletes to the play fields and competitive sports will be strictly as per the safety guidelines issued. I am happy that all the preparations are going on well and eager to see real sporting actions in near future,” Rijiju tweeted along with pictures of his visit to the stadium.

 “Preparations are going on to make sports facilities ready for the return of our athletes. I checked the progress of work at Jawaharlal NehruStadium. The JLN complex in the capital is a prime venue for athletics events.

Moreover, to kickstart the sports and fitness in the country, Kiren Rijiju, on the eve of the 74th Independence Day launched Fit India Youth Club.

The Fit India Youth Club, a part of the Fit India Movement, “endeavours to harness the power of youth to create mass awareness about the importance of fitness, across the country”, according to a statement from the ministry. “75 lakh volunteers of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan and National Service Scheme, along with Scouts and Guides, NCC and other youth organisations will come together to register as Fit India Youth Clubs in every block in the country, under the aegis of a district unit and each member of the club will motivate people from the community to take up fitness activities of 30 to 60 minutes in his or her daily routine,” said the ministry.