Shah inaugurates Veer Savarkar complex; says Ahmedabad to be India's sports capital

Ahmedabad, Sep 14 (PTI) Union Minister Amit Shah expressed confidence that Ahmedabad will become the "sports capital" of the country with exemplary facilities like the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, the under-construction Sardar Patel Sports Complex and the world-class Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, which he inaugurated on Sunday.

Arrangements are afoot to make Ahmedabad a centre of sports not only in Gujarat but in the whole of India by hosting 13 international events of different types by 2036, Shah asserted.

"Ahmedabad is going to become the sports capital of our country. The world's largest Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium is in Motera, Sardar Patel Sports Complex is being built on hundreds of acres next to it, and Veer Savarkar Sports Complex. All these are in Ahmedabad," Shah said.

The 2029 World Police & Fire Games is going to be held here, while there is every possibility of getting the nod to organise the (2030) Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad (for which India has submitted its bid), he said.

"The Union government is making many preparations to bring the Olympics to Ahmedabad in 2036," Shah added.

Asserting that the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex is the largest and most modern sports complex in India, Shah said the country should not dream of being second under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The PM has set a target for us that by 2047 we have to create an India that is number one in the world in every field. When it comes to various fields, sports is the soul of the country. If sports started first anywhere in the world, it was in India. Our country is the youngest country in the world and should not lag behind in sports," Shah said.

"Modi has worked to make sports infrastructure and training of players world class, selection transparent, and ensured those who play well get a chance to represent India. Due to these efforts, there has been a lot of change in the sports scenario of India in the last 10 years," Shah added.

Pointing out that the sports complex he inaugurated during the day was named after legendary freedom fighter Veer Savarkar, Shah said the inspiration for players training here will be to win medals for Mother India all over the world.

In the two international competitions held here recently, the presidents of various sports federations of the world said this complex, spread over 1.19 lakh square metres, is the most modern and complete in the world, Shah informed.

"There is provision for playing, training, all kinds of medical facilities, guidance from sports dieticians, and a beautiful theatre to watch world competitions in slow motion. It has an Olympic class swimming pool, Centre for Sports Excellence, Sports Science Lab, Nutrition Lab, Indoor Multi Sports Arena, Community Sports Centre," Shah said.

Hailing the Centre's new sports policy, Shah said it aims to keep the country at the forefront on the global stage.

It aims to ensure economic and social development through sports and to transform it into a movement that is integrated with education, he added.

"Because of such arrangements, India won 15 Olympic medals in the last eight years compared to 20 from 1948 to 2012. Its Paralympic Games medal count went up from eight to 52 and the Deaflympics count went from two to 22 during this period," Shah said.

The Narendra Modi government increased the sports budget from Rs 1,643 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 5,300 crore now, the Union minister said. PTI KA PD BNM