Dehradun, Jan 30 (IANS) Chhattisgarh’s Vijay Kumar etched his name into the record books by clinching the gold medal in the 55kg men’s weightlifting competition at the 38th National Games on Thursday, in the process equalling the National Record by heaving weights of 143 kg in clean and jerk.
The felicitation ceremony recognised their outstanding contribution to India’s success in the tournament, with a majority of the players coming from Maharashtra. They have also been offered jobs with the government, boosting the prospect for the sport among the aspiring Kho Kho players in the state.
Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar lavished praise on the players and tweeted, “The players of the Indian men’s and women’s teams, who became world champions in the first World Kho Kho Championship held in New Delhi, and their coaches paid me a courtesy call in Pune. On this occasion, I sincerely congratulated all of them and felicitated them. My best wishes to all the players for their future successful careers!”.
The state government awarded each player a cash prize of Rs. 2.25 crore, while the coaches received Rs. 22.5 lakh each as a token of appreciation for their remarkable achievement. The ceremony was particularly notable for the presence of team skippers Pratik Waikar and Priyanka Ingle, whose leadership played a crucial role in India’s victory.
Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) President Sudhanshu Mittal emphasised the significance of this achievement in promoting the sport globally. “This historic victory has demonstrated India’s dominance in Kho Kho on the world stage. These awards will inspire the next generation of players to pursue excellence in this traditional sport as we look to take kho kho to the next level, which is the Olympics. I am extremely grateful for the support from the Maharashtra Government in promoting Kho Kho and these incentives are a step in the right direction,” he said.
Maharashtra has always been the breeding ground for sports, especially Kho Kho. There are some brilliant players who have come from the state as Kho Kho is a very popular sport there. There is a club culture in Maharashtra that creates some good rivalry among the players to do well which eventually helps Kho Kho on the whole.
Also, the Kho Kho players get good job options which creates a sense of security among them. Each player of the team that wins the national gets INR 7 lakh in the prize money. There is also the Shiv Chhatrapati Award which is a prestigious annual sports award given by the Government of Maharashtra to recognize the achievements of athletes and sports contributors in the state.
The government’s generous reward acknowledges the players’ dedication and hard work while highlighting Maharashtra’s leading role in promoting Kho Kho in the state that is considered the birthplace of the sport. This recognition is expected to boost the popularity of Kho Kho among young athletes and contribute to its continued growth at both national and international levels.
–IANS
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