Sports now a major tech-driven sector: Haryana CM Saini

Chandigarh, Dec 5 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday said sports have expanded beyond athletic performance to become a major sector driven by employment, technology and scientific innovation.

Addressing the “Modern Sports Management: The Indian Model” conference at Haryana Sports University in Rai, Sonipat, Saini said sports will play a vital role in India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

He said athletes from Haryana have brought unprecedented glory to the country at global events including the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and University Games. The two-day conference, he added, will help shape a strong roadmap for the nation’s sports ecosystem.

Haryana Sports University Vice-Chancellor and former DGP Ashok Kumar said the event aims to integrate Indian culture into sports and highlighted the achievements of the university established in 2022.

Saini said Indianisation of sports management means blending traditional Indian sporting values with modern scientific management, built on four pillars — modernity, mindset, management and moral values.

He said the state government has invested over Rs 989 crore in the sports sector in the past 11 years, with a provision of Rs 589.69 crore in the current financial year. "Haryana now has three state-level sports complexes, 21 district-level stadiums, 163 Rajiv Gandhi rural sports complexes, 245 rural stadiums, 382 indoor gyms, 10 swimming pools, 11 synthetic athletics tracks, 14 hockey astroturfs, two football synthetic surfaces and nine multipurpose halls," he said.

A total of 1,489 sports nurseries are operational in the state, training 37,225 athletes. High-performance centres will be set up in every district and mini sports complexes at the panchayat level, Saini said. PTI AT AT