Chandigarh, August 2 -- A grand confluence of sports spirit and youth energy was witnessed in Haryana today, when the Sixth State Level Khel Mahakumbh was inaugurated in a grand manner at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula. On this occasion, Chief Minister Shri Naib Singh Saini formally inaugurated the Khel Mahakumbh by starting a Kabaddi match and encouraged the participating players.
On this occasion, Chief Minister Shri Naib Singh Saini said that 15,410 players from the state are participating in this year's Khel Mahakumbh, who will showcase their talent in a total of 26 different sports competitions. This Khel Mahakumbh is not just an event, but it is a powerful platform to give wings to the dreams of the youth. He said that this event not only recognizes the players at the state level, but also prepares them for national and international level competitions. He said that the Khel Mahakumbh was started in 2017, the Golden Jubilee year of Haryana. Since then, five Khel Mahakumbhs have been successfully organized.

Preparations for Haryana players to bring maximum medals in the 2036 Olympic Games have now begun
The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has set a target to establish India as a sports superpower in the 2036 Olympic Games and has also expressed his resolve to host these games in India. Haryana is already working actively in this direction and has started preparations on a large scale. The Chief Minister expressed confidence that in the 2036 Olympic Games, Haryana players will bring glory to India at the global level by winning maximum medals for the country.
He said that Haryana's goal is to produce a player from every village of the state who can hoist the national flag at the international level. The organization of 'Kheed Mahakumbh' will prove to be a golden chapter in the direction of fulfilling this objective. He said that our long-term goal is not only to make Haryana the sports capital of India, but also to establish it as the sports capital of the world.
Shri Naib Singh Saini said that apart from the Kheed Mahakumbh, a sports calendar has also been prepared to organize various sports competitions throughout the year in the state. According to this year's calendar, apart from this Kheed Mahakumbh, state-level arena competitions in wrestling, boxing, volleyball, athletics, badminton, swimming, basketball, taekwondo, gymnastics, handball etc. will be organized. He said that 10 years ago, we had taken the vision of connecting every child of Haryana with sports, building a playground in every village and providing opportunities to the youth.
He said that it is the result of the efforts of the government that today Haryana is called the 'Nursery of Sports'. We are proud of the players who have made India proud at the international level. Be it the Olympic Games, Asian Games or Commonwealth Games, Haryana players have hoisted the tricolour high on every front. The players won 5 out of the 6 medals won by the country in the Paris Olympics 2024. Earlier, out of the 7 medals won by India in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, 4 medals were won by Haryana players.
Not only this, our performance in the Asian Games has also been very commendable. In the Hangzhou Asian Games-2022, 82 players from the state participated. Out of the 111 medals won by the country, 28 medals were won by Haryana players. Haryana players also dominated the Commonwealth Games. During the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, Haryana players won 20 medals. These achievements are the result of our visionary sports policies. The Chief Minister said that this Khel Mahakumbh is a medium to promote the talent of the youth.
Its aim is to provide a platform to every youth who sees their future in sports. Sports nurseries have been opened in the state to improve the players from childhood. They are given financial assistance and training in these. At present, 1489 sports nurseries are functioning in the state. 37,225 players are undergoing training in these nurseries. Players in the age group of 8 to 14 years admitted in these nurseries are given Rs 1500 and players in the age group of 15 to 19 years are given Rs 2000 per month.
He said that the state government has made the 'Haryana Utkrisht Khiladi Sewa Rules 2021' to ensure secure employment for excellent players. Under this, 550 new posts were created in the sports department. The government has given government jobs to 224 players. Reservation has been made for direct recruitment of posts from Class-1 to Class-4 for sportspersons. He said that Haryana is the first state in the country which gives the highest cash awards to medal winning sportspersons. So far, cash awards worth Rs. 593 crore have been given to sportspersons. Apart from this, honorarium is also being given to 298 sportspersons who have performed brilliantly. Scholarships are being provided to students who participate in state, national and international sports competitions and win medals. Since the year 2014, more than 29 thousand students have been given scholarships worth Rs. 53 crore 45 lakhs.