Chandigarh, January 22 — Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday said that the state government is providing high-quality, world-class sports infrastructure to enable athletes to win medals at the Olympic level. He said Haryana has focused on identifying and nurturing hidden sporting talent by establishing sports nurseries and specialised training centres across the state, along with modern facilities, which has helped athletes from Haryana bring the highest number of medals for the country.
The Chief Minister was interacting with sportspersons during a programme organised by the Kurukshetra University administration at the university sports complex. Earlier, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Minister of State for Sports Gaurav Gautam inaugurated a synthetic hockey ground constructed at a cost of ₹5.50 crore under the Government of India’s Khelo India scheme. The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of an all-weather swimming pool project to be built at a cost of ₹8 crore under the same scheme.
After the inauguration, Nayab Singh Saini and Sports Minister Gaurav Gautam personally took hockey sticks and tested the newly developed synthetic turf by striking the ball on the field, symbolising the operational launch of the facility.
The Chief Minister said the synthetic hockey ground will provide emerging hockey players with international-standard facilities to sharpen their skills. Encouraging the athletes, he reiterated that the Haryana government remains committed to promoting sports and strengthening sports infrastructure across the state. He added that initiatives under the Khelo India scheme would further help athletes from Haryana win more medals at the Olympic and international levels, enhancing India’s global sporting profile. The event, he said, reflected not only infrastructure development but also reaffirmed the state’s resolve to maintain Haryana’s identity as a national sports hub.
Welcoming the Chief Minister, Kurukshetra University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Somnath Sachdeva shared details of the synthetic hockey astroturf developed under the Khelo India scheme. He said the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports had sanctioned a budget of ₹10 crore for the university, out of which ₹5.50 crore was utilised for the hockey ground, while a multi-purpose indoor sports hall will be constructed at a cost of ₹4.50 crore.
Deputy Commissioner Vishram Kumar Meena and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
