More than two lakh players are expected to participate in this year’s ‘Khel Mahakumbh- 2019’ to be held in the first week of November in all parts of the State.
Aimed at finding and promoting new talent in sports, these games would be organised at Nyay Panchayat, Block, district and State-level. In view of organising these games successfully, a meeting of State-level coordination committee was held at the state secretariat on Friday. The meeting was chaired by the secretary sports and youth welfare, Brijesh Kumar Sant.
He said in these games the categories of under 12, under 14, under 17, under 21 years (in all categories, the boys and girls would be in separate groups) have been made. Similarly separate categories of Women and Specially abled are made in which contestants of age group 21 to 25 years can participate.
Events of women category would be organised at district and State-level while the events of specially abled category would be held at State-level only.
Sant informed that 16 sporting events including Kabaddi, athletics, Kho-Kho, Volleyball, Badminton, Football, Table- tennis, hockey, basketball, taekwondo, handball, Judo, fencing, swimming, boxing and archery would be held during the Mahakumbh.
The events of Swimming, archery and fencing are being included in the games for the first time. He informed that prizes in all categories and event would be given to the winners, runners up and those getting third position.
In the team events winners and runner-ups would be handed over shields and trophies. Sant said that category of Under -12 is being included for the first time so that the winners can be given priority in admissions in the sports schools of the State.
In the meeting various suggestions were given by the officers of police, education, health, transport, sports, urban development and information department. These departments assured their full cooperation in successful organisation of these games. Sant told the officials that since the state is hosting National Games in the year 2021, the talented sportspersons would be selected from the Khel Mahakumbh for National Games.
In the meeting Additional Secretary Pratap Singh, Director, education, RK Kunwar, Additional Director health, Dr Suman Arya, Deputy Director, information Nitin Upadhyaya, Deputy Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Bhatt, Joint director, sports, RC Dimri, Joint Director, Youth welfare Shakti Singh, deputy director Chandra Kishore Nautiyal and state sports coordinator H S Bargali were present in the meeting.
