Now ‘Stadium Chalo Abhiyaan’ to bring potential sportspersons on turf

Bareilly: Taking inspiration from the famous ‘School Chalo Abhiyaan’, an initiative undertaken by the education department to enroll children in government schools across the state, district sports officials, too, have planned a similar drive –‘Stadium Chalo Abhiyaan’. This abhiyaan would allow children, who show a promising talent in sports, to register themselves in a stadium where they can acquire better training. Bareilly

Regional sports officer (RSO) Mudrika Pathak told TOI, “The drive focuses on enrolling potential sportspersons in stadiums. Sports coaches will be assigned to visit various schools and encourage students to participate and learn sports.

Highlighting the need for such an exercise, Pathak said, “More the number of children turn up for registration at stadiums, better it is for sports as well as people associated with it. Soon, a meeting with the district inspector of schools (DIoS) will be held so that majority of the schools participate in the drive.”

Calling it a welcoming initiative for sports coaches, Mohammad Irfan, hand ball coach at the district stadium, told TOI, “It is a move that benefits coaches and players alike. Under this drive, all coaches of the district sports stadium will visit schools and colleges in the coming days and would focus on talented students to make use of this platform. Our priority would be scouting children under 18 years of age.”