Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday honoured 11 athletes and three coaches from Delhi who achieved success at the 2022 Asian Games and vowed to do “everything possible to support” sportspersons. The CM gave cash incentives amounting to ₹1 crore to gold medallists, ₹75 lakh to silver medallists, and ₹50 lakh to bronze medallists under various Delhi government schemes.
Mr. Kejriwal urged athletes from across the country to engage with Delhi Sports University and contribute towards nurturing budding talents.
“I understand that all of you have struggled a lot. This achievement cannot be attained so easily. We will try everything possible to support you as much as we can in your struggles,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
“When an athlete is struggling, no one helps them, but when they win and bring home a gold medal, the whole world gathers around to take photos with them and to award them. If they get a little support during their struggle, the athletes can make significant progress,” Mr Kejriwal said. He added that India can learn from countries like China, where an athlete is identified, nurtured, and groomed from childhood.
The Delhi government’s ‘Play and Progress’ scheme provides budding sportspersons up to the age of 17 with an annual amount of ₹1 lakh to ₹3 lakh. The CM said that in the four years since the launch of the scheme, 1,500 children have been assisted with a total sum of ₹32 crores.
Under the government’s ‘Mission Excellence’ programme, individuals who perform at the national and international levels get up to ₹16 lakh financial assistance. In the past four years, 400 athletes have been helped with a total of ₹25 crore, Mr. Kejriwal said.
