Kiren Rijiju inaugurates Khelo India Community Coach Development programme

Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on June 1 inaugurated the first Khelo India "Physical Education and Community Coaching" Programme. The inaugural session was attended by experts from the United States, Venezuela, who addressed the online programme as guest speakers. Rijiju while inaugurating the programme said that community coaches and physical education teachers have a big role to play in the development of sports in India. "If India has to be the sporting superpower, we need to create a culture of sports in our country," Rijiju added.  

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"Earlier physical education in school used to be an ad-hoc arrangement and never given much importance. We will work closely with the HRD ministry and start taking this to every school in India. Fitness should be a part of daily life, not something optional. This is the beginning and in a few years, this will have far-reaching effects and India will turn into a fitter country,” Rijiju said.

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The programme will reportedly go on for 25 days and the first day was attended by Prof. Rosa Lopez de D’Amico, President of the International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women, and Darlene A Kluka, Vice President of the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education. 

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Other development programmes

Sports Ministry also inaugurated Khelo India e-pathshala, an online athlete development programme for grassroots-level sportspersons. Online classes for these e-pathshalas will be held in 16 sporting disciplines by top coaches and experts from June 1 at 9 pm. The sports ministry is also doing its best to promote indigenous sports of India such as Kalaripayattu, Gatka, Mallakhamb and Thang-Ta as 269 athletes of these games have been given Rs 80,70,000 as scholarship, Rs. 10,000 a month for April, May and June. 

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(With inputs from PTI)