Prayagraj: India hosting the 2036 Olympics will take the country’s sports to great heights, footballer Baichung Bhutia opined. The former Indian football team captain was the chief guest at the ‘Khel Mahakumbh’, organised by Kreeda Bharati and TYC.
Addressing a gathering here, Bhutia praised the Uttar Pradesh government's claimed efforts in promoting sports, stating, “The initiatives of Yogi ji for football are remarkable. If UP progresses, India progresses. Hosting the 2036 Olympics will take Indian sports to great heights.”
He further emphasised the need for collaborative efforts between the government and institutions like Dream Sports Foundation to enhance sports infrastructure and training.
In the second session, Anurag Thakur took centre stage, stressing the importance of promoting India’s traditional sports on a global platform. “We need to take our indigenous sports like Kabaddi, Kalaripayattu, Mallakhamb, and Kho-Kho to international levels. Before the world recognises our traditional sports, we must embrace them first. During my tenure as Sports Minister under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, we started actively promoting our native sports, and I am glad to see the momentum continue,” he said.
The event was hosted by Avneesh Kumar Singh, President of Uttar Pradesh Kreeda Bharati, along with senior officials of Kreeda Bharati and TYC Director Geeta Singh. Avneesh Kumar Singh reaffirmed the organisation's commitment to providing world-class sports facilities and nurturing talent at the grassroots level. “Our goal is to identify and train athletes from rural areas and pave their way to the Olympics,” he stated.