Kiren Rijiju: India has created awareness about importance of staying fit

The Union Minister has expressed the desire to resume sports in the country within a few coming months.

The Sports Minister of India, Kiren Rijiju is hopeful of seeing sporting activities make a return in the country as soon as September or October after all events were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Quite recently, Kiren Rijiju attended the Ministerial Forum of Commonwealth countries, where he shared his thoughts on India’s plans pertaining to the resumption of sports and the guidelines that will be put in place to ensure the safety of all the athletes.

Speaking at the global forum, Rijiju said, “As members of Commonwealth nations, we need to stand in solidarity on all issues, especially at a time like this. I am glad to be on this forum with all other Commonwealth nations to collaborate on the way forward. Most of the points raised here by ministers from other countries are similar to that of India’s. However, there are some significant learnings and achievements that we have had during this period, which I would like to share.”

Moreover, Rijiju revealed that the training has commenced for athletes, who will be taking part in the Olympics in 2021 before adding that strict safety measures issued by the government will be followed stringently by all the sporting organizations.

“The government has allowed some sporting activities with certain restrictions while following a stringent SOP, the guidelines that must be followed by every sporting organisation. I am happy to inform that the training of our elite, Olympic-bound athletes has begun in specialised camps recently.”

“I have also spoken to the sports ministers of all states and Union Territories, as well as the National Sports Federations, and asked them to slowly resume some sporting events. We need that to boost the confidence of people. I am hopeful India will have sporting events from September or October, even the big leagues in various sports are considering resumption,” he further added.

The Sports Minister also emphasized the importance of common folk maintaining fitness during the lockdown, which is even more pivotal in the current climate. Rijiju elaborated, “I would like to inform all ministers on this forum that a very important programme, the Fit India Movement, was launched by our Prime Minister last year, and it has been very useful in fighting the pandemic since building fitness and immunity is crucial during these COVID-19 times.”

“India has successfully created awareness about the importance of staying fit through a series of dedicated online programs for citizens on fitness and well-being, all through the pandemic. Experts have shared their advice on health, nutrition, exercises that citizens of all age-groups have used successfully.”

Rijiju opened up on the success of the online training programmes that were organized for athletes as well as coaches. He has been happy to witness the participation of a myriad of individuals across different levels in the sporting pyramid and is confident that the sessions have been hugely beneficial for everyone involved.  

“We have seen participation from thousands of athletes of various levels and coaches, who have been hugely benefited by these knowledge-enhancement programs,” Kiren Rijiju concluded.

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