Chandigarh: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur inaugurated Khelo India Rising Talent Identification (KIRTI) programme amidst much enthusiasm at the Sector 7 sports complex, in Chandigarh, on Tuesday. Aimed at school children between nine and 18 years, the nation-wide scheme will have two main objectives – to hunt talent from every nook and corner of the country and to use sports as a tool to curb addiction towards drugs and other gadgetry distractions.
Thakur emphasized that KIRTI was a dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build a culture of sports and also create a cradle of talent that can win India medals at global competitions like the Olympics and Asian Games. KIRTI made a solid launch across 50 centres in India.
Fifty thousand applicants are being assessed in the first phase across 10 sports, including athletics, boxing, wrestling, hockey, football and wrestling. KIRTI aims to conduct 20 lakh assessments across the country throughout the year to identify talent through notified Talent Assessment Centres.
A scouting and training programme of this scale is a first in India and comes at a time when the nation wants to “become a top 10 sports nation in the world by 2036 and among the top five by 2047,” said Thakur.
He also emphasized that youth were the building blocks of the nation and to achieve results in sports, one must start early. Saying an athlete needed at least 10 years of preparation to win an Olympic medal, the minister said, “KIRTI wants to reach out to every block in the country and connect with those kids who want to play a sport but don’t know how. We know every child playing sport won’t win a medal but at least we want to use sports to keep the young away from drugs and other addictions. I urge every child to register through the MyBharat portal and the onus will be on us to go to them and provide the opportunity through KIRTI.”
KIRTI’s athlete-centric programme is conspicuous by its transparent selection methodology based on Information Technology. Data analytics based on Artificial Intelligence are being used to predict the sporting acumen in an aspiring athlete. Thakur added that a talent scouting system of this magnitude will need tactical collaboration with the National Sports Federations and the state governments. He added that the government has already spent Rs 3000 Crore on infrastructure and have more than 1000 Khelo India Centres across the country.
2023 Asian Games silver medalist and rising javelin star and a Paris Olympics medal contender, Kishore Kumar Jena was present on the occasion among the other dignitaries. Several young boys and girls turned up for the selection process at the Sector 7 sports complex in Chandigarh.
For 14-year-old sprinter Aman Sharma and 17-year-old walker Jaskaran Singh, KIRTI has opened a big window of opportunity. “We now know where to go and train. KIRTI is really motivating us,” said Jaskaran, waiting for his turn for a photo-op with Paris-bound Jena.
“I have highlighted before that sportspersons do not receive enough support at the grassroots level. When they start winning medals they receive financial and moral support, which should not be the case. KIRTI is a great scheme and is engaging kids of the right age. They are full of energy and this is the time to groom or nurture them after identifying their talent,” Jena said.
Thakur once again reiterated India’s intention to host the Youth Olympics in 2030 and the Summer Olympics in 2036. “If we have to become a global superpower, we have to showcase and capitalize the soft power of sports. Music, films and sports are vehicles to ride and we are good at all of them. KIRTI will only help strengthen that. From the government side, we only have to smoothen the ease of business and that’s a priority,” he said.
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