New sports policy under consideration, says Kiren Rijiju

08/15/2019

Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said his ministry will soon convene a meeting with sports departments of all states and private sector representatives to protect the interests of athletes and ensure their welfare. Rijiju also expressed hope that India will fare better at the 2020 Olympics.

For decades now Indian sports players – outside the realm of cricket – have struggled to find any sort of financial stability. Simply put, neither the central government nor the state governments have put any weight behind formulating a policy that will ensure some level of security to the players.

However, Union Minister Rijiju, who was in Vadodara to inaugurate the UTT 6th Asian School Table Tennis Championship on Wednesday, said that the BJP government is in the process of doing just that. The new sports policy under consideration would guarantee every player support from the government.

“This policy will be introduced after consultations with various sports organisations and the private sector,” Rijiju told PTI, reported Sporstar.

Meanwhile, the minister lamented India’s performance at the Rio games, where India India had won only two medals – a bronze by wrestler Sakshi Malik and a silver by shuttler P.V. Sindhu in women’s singles. However, he expressed hope that the country will fare much better in Tokyo, next year, courtesy of a task force setup specially to provide effective suggestions to improve medal prospects.

“We will definitely perform better at the Olympics. India will send a good contingent for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo,” Rijiju added.

The 2020 Summer Olympics is set to commence on July 24.