TOISA: How Yogi govt transformed UP's sports scenario

On right track to prepare perfect pitch
Athlete Parul Chaudhary was about to miss her gold medal by a whisker, but it was a unique motivation - of donning the khaki as a deputy superintendent of police - that helped her snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
"In the last 20 metres of the race, I was behind Japanese athlete Ririka Hironaka, but suddenly I bursted for four seconds to cross the finish line first," recalled Parul, who made history in Oct last year by becoming the first Indian woman to win 5000 metres race to fetch the country a gold medal in the

Asian Games

.

After the feat, the gritty sportsperson from Meerut told TOI that she had read in the newspapers that

UP govt

would offer the post of DSP to athletes who won medals in international events, which served as a guiding force to her to win the medal.
And UP govt fulfilled her dream in Jan this year when Chief Minister

Yogi Adityanath

gave her the appointment letter for the post of DSP in the Uttar Pradesh police.
This is one of the many initiatives of the Yogi Adityanath govt to promote sports in Uttar Pradesh in a big way.

After taking over the reins of the state in 2017, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been focusing on sports promotion to nurture budding talent and motivate senior players to do well at national and international level. UP now has a formidable sports policy, which focuses on infrastructure development, training, and upgradation of skills. Focusing on the grassroots, the govt paved the way for construction of sports grounds at village panchayat levels, mini stadiums at development blocks, stadiums in every district, and a sports university in Meerut.
Construction of an international cricket stadium is underway in Varanasi which is expected to be completed by Dec 2025. The venue will have a seating capacity of 30,000 which can be extended up to 40,000.
State govt also upgraded sports colleges in Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Saifai and constructed new ones in Saharanpur, Ballia, Fatehpur and Mahoba.

To motivate sportspersons to improve their performance, the govt promised gazetted posts in various departments to medal winners.
The govt also announced a cash prize of Rs 6 crore for Olympic gold medallists, Rs 4 crore for silver medallists and Rs 2 crore for those winning bronze. Team event winners in Olympic Games receive Rs 3 crore for gold, Rs 2 crore for silver, and Rs 1 crore for bronze. In Asian Games, gold medallists are awarded Rs 3 crore, silver medallists Rs 1.5 crore, and Rs 75 lakh for bronze medallists.
Successful organisation of national and international events like MotoGP race,

Davis Cup

, Khelo India University Games, IPL, World Cup cricket matches and UPT20 League strengthened UP's position as an emerging sports hub.
The govt will set up a new sports science and injury management centre in the next financial year.