Srinagar, April 26: Mizoram Sports and Youth Services Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar called for a strategic shift in India’s sports development approach, emphasising the need to focus on Olympic medal-potential disciplines and strengthen coaching systems across the country.
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| Mizoram Sports Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar attends the ‘Chintan Shivir of Ministers of Youth Affairs and Sports of States/UTs’ at SKICC in Srinagar. |
Speaking at the ‘Chintan Shivir of Ministers of Youth Affairs and Sports of States and UTs’ held at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar, Hmar also stressed the importance of reforms in the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and greater engagement between the Centre and state sports bodies.
The two-day conference, organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, was attended by Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State Raksha Nikhil Khadse, sports ministers from various states, and senior sports officials.
During the event, Hmar chaired a session titled “Khelo Bharat Niti: Strengthening Centre-State Coordination,” where discussions focused on improving collaboration between the Centre and states in promoting sports development.
Highlighting India’s preparations for the 2036 Olympic Games, Hmar said the country must adopt targeted strategies for disciplines with higher medal prospects. He noted that maintaining the current approach may not bring significant improvement and called for policy changes to achieve better results.
He also shared Mizoram’s initiatives in grassroots sports development, including the Mizoram Sports Conclave 2024 and the ‘Empowering Mizoram Sports’ programme, which provides coaching for children aged 8–15 across the state.
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Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reiterated that states play a key role in transforming India into a sports powerhouse within the next decade and urged participants to actively implement sports development initiatives at the grassroots level.
The conference featured discussions on medal strategy under the Khelo India Mission, talent identification, sports governance, sports technology, youth engagement, and improving training facilities.
