Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Tuesday inaugurated the 1st J&K Chancellor’s Athletic Meet at IUST, Awantipora.
Men & Women Athletes from different universities of Jammu and Kashmir are participating in the two-day athletic meet, organised by the Directorate of Physical Education and Sports.
On the occasion, the Lt Governor also inaugurated the 400 meters Synthetic Athletic Track and dedicated the facility to the athletes.
Extending his best wishes to the participating athletes, the Lt Governor said that the Chancellor’s Athletic Meet is the first of its kind athletic tournament at University level in J&K, which provides perfect opportunities for young men & women to showcase their skills in this competition.
“Sports is the key to character building. Sports is the only way to build knowledge, skill and motivation in life. No one can forget the lesson learnt on the athletic track. It inculcates team spirit, pride, determination, virtue and creates an identity for the life”, observed the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor advised the athletes to put their best efforts and take advantage of the opportunity to learn invaluable lessons on track.
The Lt Governor said, development of sports and mentoring of sportspersons are among top priorities of the government. He highlighted the measures taken by the government for creating world-class infrastructure, engaging more youth in sports activities, nurturing the talent and providing every necessary support to sportspersons and athletes.
‘My Youth My Pride’ campaign is being implemented across the UT to instill self-pride and confidence among the youth. Under this campaign, about 14 lakh youth are getting an opportunity to showcase their talent in 22 sports disciplines. This year, 13 National Sports Championships are being organized in Jammu and Kashmir in which 11,000 players from across the country will participate. Sports Associations are coming together to provide an opportunity to about four lakh youth and children in different sports events, said the Lt Governor.
Overall, this year a record 35 lakh youth will get a chance to compete and hone their skills in different disciplines of sports, observed the Lt Governor.
In the last financial year, 126 projects have been completed to develop sports infrastructure and today, indoor stadium facilities have been developed even in remote areas of J&K, he added.
J&K’s Sports budget is higher than various developed States/ UTs, which itself speaks volumes about our commitment towards creating sports culture, the Lt Governor further added.
Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, Vice Chancellor, Islamic University of Science and Technology, in his welcome address laid emphasis on the significance of sports in a student’s life for their holistic development.
He further briefed about the various activities and sports competitions to be organized during the athletic meet.
80 athletes from 8 Universities are taking part in different track events in the first Chancellor’s athletic meet at IUST, it was informed.
Prof Nilofer Khan, Vice Chancellor, University of Kashmir; Pandurang K Pole, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Vijay Kumar, ADGP Kashmir; Sarmad Hafeez, Secretary to Government, Youth Services and Sports; Abdul Jabbar DIG, SKR, besides faculty members of IUST, prominent sports personalities, senior officers of the UT Administration, Police and Army were present on the occasion—(KNO)