Sportstar Focus Bihar Conclave: Govt highlights policies to improve sporting ecosystem; Sreejesh, Vijender outline path ahead for Indian sports

Sportstar Focus Bihar Conclave: Govt highlights policies to improve sporting ecosystem; Sreejesh, Vijender outline path ahead for Indian sports

The Sportstar Sports Conclave – Focus Bihar brought together a diverse group of athletes, experts, administrators and stakeholders to discuss the sporting ecosystem in the region. 

The event, held at Taj City Centre in Patna on Friday, was graced by the Honourable Chief Miniter of Bihar, Shri Nitish Kumar, who felicitated decorated athletes and para-athletes — Deepa Malik, Vijender Singh, PR Sreejesh, Harendra Singh, Shiva Keshavan and Sharad Kumar. 

As per Sportstar tradition, two special awards were bestowed on athletes from the State. Decathlete Jai Prakash Singh won the Unsung Champion award, while chess player Md. Reyan bagged the Young Achiever honour. 

The Honourable Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Samrat Choudhary, set the tone for the event by laying out the roadmap for the development of sports in the State. 

“Last January, we created a plan. Firstly, we decided to create a ‘khel gaon’ in each of the nine divisions in the State that would cater to sports such as cricket, football and hockey. In many places, we have started the construction of stadiums. We hosted an international-level women’s hockey tournament (Women’s Asian Champions Trophy) in Rajgir. The whole world watched that tournament, and it put the spotlight on the fact that Bihar can also host sports such as hockey,” Choudhary said. 

He also highlighted the importance of a shift in mindset and moving away from the State’s obsession with academics. 

“Bihar was known for the quality of education. In the UPSC exams, most of the students who pass are from Bihar and UP. We had created a mindset that if you study, you will be successful, and if you play sports, you will ruin your life. But the world has moved forward, and we are trying to keep pace through technology. We have decided to build 6,500 playing fields simultaneously, and we have set ourselves the target of establishing around 5,000 by November 2025.” 

Bihar Sports Minister, Shri Surendra Mehta, also said that, under the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sports was on the rise in the State. 

Bihar is adopting ‘Chanakya Neeti’ in its sports policy, Director General & CEO, Bihar State Sports Authority, Raveendran Sankaran, said. 

Talking about the 23 sporting disciplines that would be accommodated at the Rajgir Sports Complex, Raveendran said that the Bihar government would focus on sports in which other States weren’t already at a very advanced stage. 

“We have identified certain sports where, within the country, the competition is less, and the medal-winning capacity is more. We adopted Rugby Sevens, Sepak Takraw, Fencing, and Cycling. Today, we are the champion of champions in Rugby Sevens in all categories.”

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Bihar government has provided athletes with substantial financial assistance and launched an extensive talent scouting programme named ‘Mashal’. 

“The State government has launched three levels of sports scholarship policies,” B. Rajender, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Sports, Government of Bihar, said. “The number one is Prerna – at the grassroots level. We are giving Rs. 3 lakh to each sportsperson between the ages of 12 and 18, and we are going to sponsor about 500 sportspersons a year. At the next level, we are going to give scholarships to 200 sportspersons between the ages of 12 and 24. Third category is ‘Udaan’ – the highest level. This includes the sportspersons who have reached the international level and won medals. We are providing Rs. 20 lakh per annum to 20 such sportspersons a year. This will encourage them, provide them with the ability to purchase equipment, invest in diet and cover travelling expenses.” 

Rajender also spoke about the Bihar government’s sports recruitment policy, ‘Medal Lao Naukri Pao,’ and its evolution. 

“This started in 2009. In the beginning, very few athletes were recruited. But now, in 2023, we refined the policy and modified the criteria. Last year, we appointed 71 sportspersons in different categories. Since inception, 358 athletes have benefitted.” 

Raveendran said that the State government was actively addressing issues such as age fraud, doping and sexual harassment in sports. 

“Three cases came to our knowledge, and the girls gave it [complaint] in writing. We lodged cases against the three coaches and sent them behind bars.” 

During a panel discussion titled ‘Learnings from the Paris Games’, World Athletics Vice President Adille Sumariwalla said that good governance was non-negotiable to bring out the best results at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and other international tournaments.

Meanwhile, the head coach of the women’s hockey team, Harendra Singh, highlighted the importance of science in sports. 

“Without science, sports can’t be run. After 28 years in the coaching circle, I can say that if you impart science, you can achieve the target. Sports science plays a vital role if you want to enhance performance and want to achieve a medal at the top level,” Harendra said during a discussion on unlocking athlete potential through sports science. 

During the segment titled “Bihar championing India’s e-sports revolution”, NODWIN Gaming Co-Founder Akshat Rathee said, “Individual e-sports has a lot of money. E-sports in India has more than 250 people who earn more than one lakh rupees a month. I think building the grassroots is a discovery problem and not a build problem. The opportunities are now about States going ahead and taking leadership to its constituents saying, ‘We can put up a great spectacle that is relevant to you.’ On the back of that, we can have an institutional program that in two or three years can produce the best athlete in the country.” 

Talking about grassroots sports development, Raveendran said that the sports associations that have worked in tandem with the Bihar government have benefitted and urged other States to follow suit. 

Aditi Mutatkar, Program Head, Athlete and Women Initiatives at Simply Sport Foundation, hailed Bihar as a “female-first” State. During the panel titled “Empowering the Game – Unleashing women’s potential in Sports”, Mihira Khopkar, a sports nutritionist who works with Reliance Foundation Hospital, said, “What the Bihar government is trying to do is the start of something very big for women in Bihar.” 

The conclave concluded with an engaging session involving Olympic medallists Vijender Singh, PR Sreejesh and Paralympic medallist Sharad Kumar. The trio discussed their journeys and outlined the path ahead for Indian sport. 

“We are a sporting nation but in selected sports. We have very little participation in swimming, gymnastics and athletics. That’s where the medals are. We need to introduce kids to different sports, find talents and train them,” Sreejesh said. 

“We are doing very fine these days. The hunger in the youth has increased. They want to achieve something. They want to be famous. They want to do something for the country,” Vijender said. 

Meanwhile, local boy Sharad concluded by saying, “ Loha garam hai. Ye mahaul hai poore desh mein. Let’s make sports a habit. We should try and target every individual that sports is a basic for a good life.”