Arunachal Pradesh, July 10, 2023: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has attributed the impressive rise of India as a sporting powerhouse on the world stage to the efforts made by the Narendra Modi government over the past 7-8 years. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 5th Junior Boys National Boxing Championship held at Don Bosco College, Khandu expressed his belief in the immense potential of the country’s youth.
Khandu acknowledged the positive impact of result-oriented policies implemented by the central government, which has propelled India’s sporting graph to the highest level. He emphasized that Arunachal Pradesh is also reaping the benefits of these policies.
The chief minister extended a warm welcome to all participants, technical officers, and officials from the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) attending the event. He expressed hope that they would leave with fond memories and become goodwill ambassadors for the frontier state.
Khandu expressed his gratitude to the BFI for selecting Arunachal Pradesh as the host for this significant event. He highlighted that the state has already hosted an international table tennis championship and a national curling event this year, in addition to the ongoing national-level boxing championship. These developments signify Arunachal Pradesh’s progress in the field of sports.
The establishment of five Centers of Excellence for boxing, weightlifting, wushu, taekwondo, and archery at the Sangey Lhaden Sports Academy in the state was cited as an example of the opportunities provided to young athletes to excel at the highest levels. Khandu also announced that approval has been granted for the establishment of another Center of Excellence for hockey.
While acknowledging that many of these sports may be new to Arunachal Pradesh, Khandu expressed confidence in the fast learning abilities of the state’s youth. He affirmed that within a few years, they will be competing at all levels.
Khandu reiterated the state government’s commitment to prioritize games and sports. He revealed plans to establish another sports academy similar to the Sangey Lhaden Sports Academy in Changlang, aimed at nurturing young talents from eastern Arunachal Pradesh.
The chief minister hailed the ongoing boxing championship in Itanagar as one of the best in terms of the record number of participants, with a total of 367 boxers taking part. He expressed optimism that the budding boxers of the state would be greatly inspired by the event and that they have the potential to achieve great success.
To promote boxing further, Khandu pledged to provide world-class boxing rings across the state. He urged the Arunachal Olympic Association, the Arunachal Amateur Boxing Association, and the sports department to collaborate and recommend suitable venues for the construction of boxing rings to the state government. The CM suggested that universities and colleges could be chosen as venues, allowing a maximum number of aspiring boxers to benefit from the facilities.
