New Delhi, 31 December: Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju assured on Thursday that players and staff participating in the Olympics will be given priority when the corona vaccine is made available in the country.
He said that India is preparing to send the largest team this time for the Tokyo Olympics to be held between July 13 and August 8 next year.
The sports minister said that health workers and frontline coronavirus warriors are naturally in priority for distribution of corona vaccine, but in the field of sports, athletes and staff participating in the Olympics and athletes preparing for other major world championships will be given.
He said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a very clear road map and the Health Ministry has prepared a detailed plan for the Covid-19 vaccine and its distribution.
The Sports Minister said that the year 2020 has been very challenging for everyone due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the good thing was that the players kept themselves fit even amidst the refusal to go to the field. This is evidence of positive feeling from the point of view of sports. He said that it is better to work on skill improvement by planning for the future.
Rijiju said that the year 2020 has been challenging for all, especially for the sport as the game was harming all resources.
He added further that as expected, only the players had a chance to participate in international events at the end of the year, the rest of the time was wasted due to Corona. Now we have to forget about the past and take care further. In such a situation, every opportunity and time will have to be used properly by planning, so that the skill is developed.
He said that there will be many hurdles for the Olympics and it will not be easy to win the event amid the epidemic. In such a situation, preparation is need-based in the face of intense competition.
On a question regarding the introduction of international level infrastructure in India, the Union Minister said that all the facilities in Sports Authority of India (SAI) have been made available to athletes. Registered clubs or accredited coaches have also been allowed to use the sports facilities free of charge.
He said that ‘we would like to see the state governments taking more active steps with the private sector. For this it is necessary that the government gets help from everyone. ‘
Expressing confidence in the Indian athletes, the Sports Minister said that they would make it to the top ten in the 2028 Olympics.
He said that the talent of young players will be “important”, so nurturing them will help the country achieve good results in big events.
Rijiju said that prioritizing the disciplines of the game, setting a goal and taking action accordingly. Under this, a technical plan has been launched at the national level. In this, a sub-committee has been constituted at the regional level to ensure the identification and scouting of talent at an early age.
