Bihar Chief Minister during inauguration of Rajgir Sports complex, Image courtesy: Prabhat Khabar
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday, August 29 inaugurated the newly constructed State Sports Academy and Bihar Sports University in Rajgir. The development marks a significant milestone in the state’s comprehensive effort to follow the footsteps of other states who have made great strides in building world-class sporting infrastructure.
The sports university and academy which features world class athletic tracks, a hockey turf, swimming pool, a football stadium and other sports facilities has been built with a whopping cost of 750 crores and will provide facilities for 28 indoor and outdoor games including cricket for which a stadium is too coming up in Rajgir.
The Chief Minister joined by his deputies also interacted with the players of Indian Women’s hockey team and felicitated as many as nine international players for their achievements on the occasion.
Notably, the academy will first host the 8th Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, scheduled to be played between November 11 to 20 this year marking it the first ever continental tournament to be hosted in the city of Rajgir in Bihar. The event will be a joint venture between Hockey India and the Bihar Government.
“I am very happy and delighted to extend the support of Bihar Government to host the 8th Women’s Asian Champions Trophy. We extend a very warm welcome to the international teams participating in the prestigious event. We hope the hockey teams, officials and hockey fans travelling for this event will enjoy the hospitality of our people, we will ensure no stone is left unturned in making this event a grand success,” Nitish Kumar was quoted in a release from Hockey India as saying.
Meanwhile Elated to announce the host nation, Dato Fumio Ogura, President of Asian Hockey Federation said, “I am delighted to announce that the 8th Women’s Asian Champions Trophy will be held in India. I extend my profound gratitude to Hockey India for taking up the responsibility to host this marquee event after successfully hosting the Men and Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in India last year. I am confident that the event in Rajgir, Bihar will be a huge success similar to the previous edition held in Ranchi, Jharkhand.”
Further, expressing his gratitude to the Bihar Government, Dilip Tirkey, President of Hockey India said, “Hockey India is very excited to host the prestigious Women’s Asian Champions Trophy in Bihar. This is a historic moment for hockey as this is the first time an international hockey tournament is being held in Bihar. We are grateful to Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) and the Bihar Government for the incredible opportunity and support to host the event.”
I can see that a very good and beautiful turf has been made. Women’s Asian Champions Trophy is going to be held in November. Talks have been held with the Bihar Government and the Sports Department. It is going to be held on this ground. The Women’s Asian Champions Trophy will definitely motivate the upcoming generation and I would say that it will definitely be beneficial for them,” he added.
Echoing the sentiments of hockey fans, Bhola Nath Singh, Secretary General of Hockey India said that it is a great moment for Indian Women’s Hockey since the Asian Champions Trophy is being held in India for the second consecutive time.
“It is a great moment for Indian Women’s Hockey that back-to-back Asian Champions Trophy is being held in India. We hosted a very memorable event in Ranchi last year and we will ensure a grand event in Bihar as well. Hockey India is tirelessly working towards developing women’s hockey across the country and we believe taking an event of this stature to Bihar will help inspire children to take up the sport. We look forward to welcoming all the international teams and hockey lovers to Bihar,” Bhola Nath said.
Notably India clinched the title in the last edition of the tournament held last year in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi. Besides the Defending Champions India, reigning Olympic Silver-medalists China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Thailand are expected to participate in the marquee tournament.
Meanwhile Indian Olympian shooter Shreyasi Singh also expressed satisfaction on the inauguration of the first-ever State Sports Academy and Bihar Sports University in Rajgir asserting that it will serve as a fine platform for more great players to emerge out of the state.
“The smiles on the faces of players prove how big it is for Bihar. The sports and sportspersons are getting so much importance. A lot of competitions can be held here; players can train here too. We talked about finding talent in Bihar and this is the right platform for them now,” said Shreyasi.
“In my career of over 17 years, not only from Bihar, but players from all over the India are progressing due to great schemes and infrastructure provided by the government, be it the Olympians, Paralympics, Commonwealth Games athletes etc. The tally of Bihar athletes is only going up. It is a slow, but a steady progress,” she added.
Underscoring the significance of the project, Ravindran Sankaran, Director General, Bihar State Sports Authority said that, “We have decided that when the Olympics will be held in 2032, players from Bihar will participate in it and win medals, so this is the first start for that. Players from Bihar will get good training and they will move forward. This academy has been constructed on 99.6 acres… By 2032, Bihar will become a sports superpower in India…”
(With Inputs from ANI)
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