Last Updated:
President Droupadi Murmu praised India’s chess dominance, highlighting young prodigies like D Gukesh and Divya Deshmukh.
Droupadi Murmu (left) and Divya Deshmukh (PTI Photo)
President Droupadi Murmu praised India’s global chess dominance in her national address on Thursday, highlighting the country’s impending “transformative changes” in the sporting domain.
Eighteen-year-old D Gukesh’s victory as the youngest world champion last year marked the beginning of an exceptional season for India’s chess prodigies, including R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidith Gujarati, Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh, and R Vaishali, who consistently excelled in high-pressure international events.
Last month, nineteen-year-old Divya Deshmukh became the youngest women’s World Cup winner, defeating Humpy in the final.
“Our youth, brimming with new confidence, are making a significant impact in sports and games. Chess, for instance, is now dominated by India’s youngsters like never before. We foresee transformative changes that will establish India as a global sporting powerhouse under the vision of the National Sports Policy 2025,” said President Murmu.
“Our daughters are our pride, breaking barriers in every field, including defence and security. Sports are vital indicators of excellence, empowerment, and potential. A nineteen-year-old girl (Deshmukh) and a thirty-eight-year-old woman (Humpy) from India were the finalists in the FIDE Women’s World Cup for the chess championship,” she stated.
“This highlights the sustained and globally comparable excellence among our women across generations. The gender gap in employment is also narrowing. With ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, the empowerment of women is now a reality rather than just a slogan,” she added.
The National Sports Policy mandates accountability from administrators and establishes procedures to “ensure ethical practices, fair play, and healthy competition in the sports sector.”
It also advocates the creation of national agencies and inter-ministerial committees for swift action and effective issue resolution, promoting transparency and seamless operations across the sports ecosystem.
The policy proposes a revamped funding mechanism, including initiatives such as “Adopt an Athlete”, “Adopt a District”, “Adopt a Venue”, “One Corporate-One Sport”, and “One PSU-One State” where feasible.
Following the policy’s unveiling on July 1, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya presented the long-awaited National Sports Governance Bill in Parliament. The landmark legislation, ensuring a strict regulatory framework for National Sports Federations and a speedy dispute resolution mechanism, has been passed by both houses of Parliament.
Mandaviya, who termed it the single biggest sporting reform since independence, has pledged to implement its provisions within the next six months.
With PTI Inputs
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
view comments
Read More
Source link
[ad_3]
