Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday flagged off the state’s contingent for the fourth Khelo Masters National Championship from the Chief Minister's Camp Office.
The national-level event, scheduled to take place in New Delhi from April 11 to 13, will feature a wide array of sports, including athletics, football, basketball, hockey, shooting, badminton, table tennis, and volleyball.
Extending his best wishes to the participating athletes, CM Dhami said, "Numerous efforts have been made across the country to promote sports under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Sports infrastructure has seen rapid development. The Prime Minister consistently encourages players."
He further highlighted that the state government has implemented a new sports policy to ensure players receive every necessary facility to grow and excel in their respective fields. "Efforts have been made under the new sports policy to provide every possible facility to players in order to promote sports in the state," he added.
The Chief Minister noted Uttarakhand’s growing prominence in the sports sector, pointing to the state’s impressive seventh-place finish in the recent National Games. "Uttarakhand has now also established its identity as a land of sports," he remarked.
Leading the Uttarakhand contingent is Dr. Virendra Singh Rawat, Vice President of the Khelo Masters Games Foundation of Uttarakhand. The team includes footballers in the 40+, 50+, and 60+ age categories, while athletics will see participation from age groups above 40 and above 70.
The event also saw the presence of prominent sports patrons and participants, including Prem Singh Bisht, P C Khantwal, Subhash Arora, Vimal Singh Rawat, Sunil Sharma, Aneesh Sharma, Vinesh Rana, Sharad Agarwal, Surendra Singh Rawat, Chatresh Kumar, and Prem Prakash Purohit.
The Khelo Masters Games Foundation, founded in 2018, is an emerging sports initiative in India, aiming to raise awareness about the benefits of sports for health and well-being, especially among adult and senior athletes.