CM Pushkar Singh Dhami announces AC upgrade for Vandana Kataria Indoor Stadium at Yuva All Stars Kabaddi Championship closing ceremony

Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], April 4 (ANI): Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the closing ceremony of the Yuva All Stars Championship 2025 organized at the Vandana Kataria Indoor Stadium Roshanabad under the aegis of the Uttarakhand Kabaddi Association in Haridwar on Friday, according to a press release from Uttarakhand CMO.
Announcing to convert the indoor stadium/hall into an AC hall, the Chief Minister wished a bright future to all the energetic players who had come from every corner of the country to participate in this national level Kabaddi Championship, and all the players who won medals in the sports competition. Boosting the morale of the players, he said that the players of the teams who are a few steps away from victory should see this as an opportunity to improve their sports abilities, the statement said
He said that Kabaddi is an ancient sport of our country. While on the one hand the agility, strength and speed of the player are important for success in Kabaddi, on the other hand, patience and team spirit are required in the players. He said that it was unfortunate that for a long time Kabaddi did not get the respect it deserves. He said that in the last decade Kabaddi has made its own identity not only in India but also at the international level. Through competitions like the Pro-Kabaddi League which started in 2014, not only have the players got a big platform but Kabaddi has also gained a lot of popularity on television. The Yuva All Stars Championship Kabaddi competition is getting a new dimension.
The Chief Minister said that this time this championship has been telecast live in more than 100 countries. Along with this, a separate 10-day league has been organized for Uttarakhand in this championship and our local players have been given an opportunity to show their talent. For which he praised the Uttarakhand Kabaddi Association and the organizers. He said that today our state is making its own identity in the country as Devbhoomi as well as Khel Bhoomi. Recently, during the grand and successful organization of the 38th National Games, the way we provided sports facilities to the players from all over the country was a benchmark, the statement added.
He informed that along with building a state-of-the-art stadium at a cost of Rs 517 crore, world class sports infrastructure has been developed in Uttarakhand by bringing international level sports equipment at a cost of approximately Rs 100 crore. He said that today, this world-class stadium and sports facilities have become a strong base for training the players of the state. Along with this, seeing our world class sports infrastructure, the organizers are now being drawn towards Uttarakhand for big sports competitions. He said that various national level competitions which were earlier held in other states, are now being organized in Uttarakhand, an example of which is this Yuva All Stars Championship, the statement added.
The Chief Minister said that moving towards its goal of establishing Uttarakhand as a sports land, the state government is soon going to implement a Sports Legacy Plan under which 23 sports academies will be established in 08 cities of the state, in which 920 world class athletes and 1000 other athletes will receive high level training every year, along with national and international level training, sports science experts, physiotherapists, conditioning coaches, diet specialists and psychiatrists will also be deployed in these academies.
Along with this, rapid steps are being taken towards the establishment of Uttarakhand's first sports university in Haldwani and women's sports college in Lohaghat. Congratulating all the players, trainers, organizers, sports lovers, the Chief Minister said that this time the players of Uttarakhand have created history by winning more than 100 medals in the National Games, in which two medals have been won by Kabaddi players as well. In the times to come, the players of Uttarakhand will bring medals not only at the national level but also at the international level and make the entire India along with Uttarakhand proud. (ANI)