Sports Ministry Makes Sporting Infrastructure Accessible to All

In order to further the Fit India Movement, Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) has decided to allow national and state sports federations, leagues and clubs to organise sports events in all sporting facilities owned by the government, without paying any fee.

This first-of-a-kind decision would provide access to government’s playfields and sporting infrastructure to federations and to all sports persons free of cost from 1 November 2019. The new policy was taken in consideration that people must have access to playfields and sporting infrastructure so that culture of playing sport and therefore of fitness, becomes a way of life for Indians.

Highlights of MYAS New Policy

The sporting facilities will also be accessible free of cost to coaches training athletes who are not part of camps organised in Sports Authority of India (SAI) centers. From 1 November onwards, Training sessions can be booked by a coach online and the coach can charge a reasonable training fee from his/her trainees.

In first phase: The stadiums in Delhi including Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JNS), Major Dhyanchand Stadium, Indira Gandhi Stadium (IGS) and Karni Singh Shooting Range (KSSR) will be opened up for state and national federations for hosting leagues, tournaments and competitions of all sporting disciplines. The Federations and Leagues will not be charged for use of facilities in these stadiums.

Non-SAI (Sports Authority of India) coaches: The new policy will also allow non-SAI coaches to train their athletes at the available stadiums without any charge, provided that the non-SAI coach has a minimum of at least 10 wards under his/her training.

Even youngsters who are not getting trained for any sport professionally will also have access to these stadia and can play a game of their choice by advance online booking against available slots, provided they have got their photo identity cards made from Sports Authority of India.

Stadium Earmarked: To ensure optimum utilization of available infrastructure, each stadium is being earmarked for a specific sport such as IG stadium will be earmarked for boxing, badminton, wrestling and judo while JLN will host football competitions, leagues and training organised by federations, KSSR will host shooting competitions and National Stadium will host hockey and swimming.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2019