Srinagar, Aug 10 (NVI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said athletes from the Union Territory cannot be expected to win medals at national and international competitions without adequate sporting infrastructure, emphasising the need for quality facilities, training and financial support.
Abdullah said Jammu and Kashmir was still lagging behind in sports infrastructure and needed significant improvement.
“The right fruits of hard work will come when you get the right facilities. We are quite behind in this regard and need to improve going forward,” he said.
The chief minister highlighted the shortage of synthetic tracks in the Union Territory, saying athletes were being expected to compete with sportspersons who train throughout the year with access to better facilities.
“I can count the synthetic tracks on fingers. I can see only four. When we cannot provide our athletes with synthetic tracks, what medals can we expect from them?” Abdullah said.
“Your competition is with those who are practising for 12 months of the year,” he added.
Abdullah also called for greater utilisation of high-altitude areas of Jammu and Kashmir for sports and training, while stressing the need to promote both established and emerging sporting disciplines.
Expressing concern over the overwhelming focus on cricket, he said other sports also required greater attention and investment.
“Unfortunately, when we talk about sports, perhaps more than 80 per cent of the attention goes towards cricket. Most of the money is also in cricket, followed by football and then other sports,” he said.
The chief minister said India would need to encourage athletes across disciplines to improve its performance at international sporting events.
“If we really want to achieve something in competitions like the Commonwealth Games and other international events, we have to participate in different kinds of sports,” he said.
Abdullah also linked sports promotion with efforts to combat drug abuse, saying sports infrastructure and opportunities for young people could play an important role in keeping them away from drugs.
“Staying away from drugs cannot be a slogan for just one day in the year. It has to be for 12 months in a year, and that will happen only when we provide infrastructure for sports,” he said.
He assured that the government would make all possible efforts to promote sports and improve facilities for athletes in Jammu and Kashmir.(NVI)
