Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has declared that the state's athletes will march into the 2036 Olympic Games with a resolute aim to secure the highest number of medals, aiming to cement Haryana's global reputation as a land of tough farmers and champion wrestlers. The CM made this ambitious statement while addressing the grand closing ceremony of the Sansad Khel Mahotsava 2025 at the Dronacharya Stadium in Kurukshetra on Tuesday.
Vision for a Sporting Powerhouse
Saini emphasized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a clear vision to establish India as a dominant force in global sports by the 2036 Olympics, and Haryana is committed to playing a pivotal role in turning this national dream into reality. He credited the state's systematic planning over the past 11 years, which focused on connecting every child with sports, developing playgrounds in every village, and identifying and nurturing young talent.
The event saw the Chief Minister, along with Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal and former Thanesar MLA Subhash Sudha, honoring the winning athletes with cash prizes and awards. Shooter Gurjot Singh and para-athlete Dilbagh Singh, both from Hisar, were presented with special awards. The CM also released the Sansad Khel Mahotsava 2025 souvenir published by MP Jindal.
Grassroots Development and Massive Participation
Congratulating Jindal and his team, Saini highlighted the unprecedented scale of the MP Sports Festival, which witnessed a record-breaking participation of 1.10 lakh athletes across various disciplines. To sustain this momentum, the Haryana government has implemented a year-round sports calendar featuring events like 'Sports Mahakumbh', state-level akhara dangals, and competitions in boxing, volleyball, athletics, badminton, swimming, basketball, and handball.
Calling Haryana the "nursery of sports," the CM detailed the extensive support system for athletes. The state currently runs 1,472 sports nurseries training 37,225 athletes. Youngsters aged 8-14 years receive a monthly stipend of Rs 1,500, while those aged 15-19 get Rs 2,000. For elite sportspersons, the Haryana Outstanding Sportsperson Service Rules, 2021, have created 550 new posts, with 231 athletes already securing government jobs.
The financial rewards are substantial, with medal winners eligible for cash prizes of up to Rs 6 crore. To date, 16,418 athletes have received cash awards totaling a staggering Rs 683.15 crore. Additionally, 298 top performers get monthly honorariums, and over 24,000 students have received scholarships worth Rs 70 crore since 2014. Sports equipment has been provided to 15,634 athletes under a dedicated scheme.
New Era for Kurukshetra Sports
In his address, MP Naveen Jindal described the festival not as an end, but as the dawn of a new sporting era for Kurukshetra. He outlined a concrete plan to provide sports equipment and trained coaches in every village, develop sports stadiums within a year, and install gym equipment in all villages within two years. He urged the youth to shun drugs and align with PM Modi's vision of building champions from the grassroots.
The CM also took a moment to congratulate Haryana's women's badminton team—Unnati Hooda, Anmol Kharb, Devika Sihag, and Riddhi Kaur Thakur—for winning gold at the 78th Inter-State Inter-Zonal Badminton Championship 2025 in Vijayawada.
Pundri Dominates the Podium
The Sansad Khel Mahotsava 2025 concluded with impressive performances from across the constituency. Pundri emerged as the top performer, clinching first place in men's cricket, women's cricket, men's hockey, men's kabaddi, women's kabaddi, and men's volleyball. Maddipur won the women's hockey title, while Amin topped women's volleyball. In traditional sports, Gram Panchayat Harsola won men's kho-kho, Dulyani Pundri took women's kho-kho, Guhla won women's tug-of-war, and the Radour-Sadhoura team secured the men's tug-of-war title.
With these comprehensive initiatives and record-breaking participation, Haryana solidifies its roadmap to become not just India's, but the world's sports capital by 2036.
