Srinagar, Oct 7: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said Jammu and Kashmir needs to look beyond cricket, football and other traditionally popular sports, as the government seeks to create opportunities for children to take up a wider range of disciplines.
Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of a Rs 30.35-crore sports infrastructure package at Gindun Rajbagh here, Omar said the government was using the new complex to shift attention towards sports that have received comparatively less focus in the region.
“Here, there is a common focus, cricket, football, hockey and mostly volleyball. Through this complex, we are trying to pay attention to some new games for our children,” he said.
Omar said the newly inaugurated facilities, including an Olympic-sized swimming pool and an indoor gymnastics hall, reflected the effort to provide children with “options and alternatives” in sport.
He said the swimming pool had been equipped with a solar-powered heating arrangement, which would allow children to train throughout the year.
“For the first time in Kashmir, the heating arrangement is being done through solar so that children can practise and train here for 12 months a year,” he said.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the new indoor gymnastics hall, saying children in Kashmir had an interest in the sport but lacked the infrastructure to pursue it.
“Generally, when we talk about gymnastics in Jammu and Kashmir, only Jammu is mentioned. Even in Kashmir, our children are interested in it and want to do it. But due to lack of infrastructure, they were not able to do it,” Omar said.
He said the government would continue adding sporting disciplines and creating facilities to widen the choices available to young athletes.
“We will keep adding more sports so that we can give our children options and alternatives so that they can have an interest in new games,” he said.
Omar also stressed that infrastructure development needed to go hand in hand with coaching and manpower.
