J&K LEADING IN SPORTS
The initiatives taken by the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote sports and games have started bringing results with sportspersons bringing laurels to country, states and UTs at different levels including the international arena. What is more satisfying is the fact that J&K has also started showing magnificent results in the national arena of sports as newspaper headlines are the testimony to the fact that the government’s efforts have started bearing fruits with UT making a mark in the sports arena of the country. Though making progress in the field of sports is a continuous process and the preparations today will provide outcome after several years, the keenness shown by the Modi Government and the local dispensation in J&K have brought desired changes and the players from J&K are competing with grit and skills, and bringing laurels to the region. In this context, twelve speed skaters of the UT recently took part in the Second National Ranking Championship held at Chhattisgarh Raipur and won 21 medals with many players securing top slots at the national level. This seems to be a dream come true for the players of the UT of J&K as earlier winning a medal at the national arena was a herculean task. As far as speed skating is concerned, the government has given a gift of lifetime to the skaters in the shape of an international standard synthetic rink which will ensure best performance of skaters in the international arena. The government’s exceptional measures deserve kudos as the standard of sports in all the fields has gone up and players are doing extremely well. Surely, the extraordinary results in the sports arena can be attributed to PM Modi’s focused attention towards this field and of course his keenness towards J&K and its people’s welfare. As the government is readily providing all the facilities to the sportsmen in the UT of J&K, the players should also give their 100 percent to make a mark in national and internal arenas and bring laurels for the country and the UT of J&K. In this regard, sportspersons should take a cue from son of the soil cricketer Umran Malik, who has earned name and fame only by dint of his hard work and sheer dedication. As far as cricket in J&K is concerned the role of Brig Anil Gupta is phenomenal in bringing back the game on track as earlier the cricket body was in jeopardy with corruption ruling the roost. There is dire need that credible personalities like Brig Anil Gupta should be roped in other games also to achieve pinnacle of success and promote sporting culture.