Union Minister State for Youth Affairs and Sports , Kiren Rijiju has called upon the police forces to specialise in one sports each so as to take the country to new heights in the field of international sports and games. He said that that India aims to be in the top ten position in the 2028 Olympic games in Los Angeles. Shri Rijiju was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 4th All India Police Judo Cluster Championship at K.D. Jadhav indoor hall in IG Stadium in New Delhi as the Chief Guest on Tuesday. Shri Rijiju gave away Trophies to the winning teams.
Making a reference to the ambitious Khelo India programme, Shri Rijiju said that his ministry is trying to change the sporting mindscape of the country by upending the status of sports and games as an extra curricular activity. He revealed that the proposed New Education Policy will give centre stage to sports and games as a part of core curriculum in education. Shri Rijiju congratulated the players for having taken part in the Police Judo Cluster games with full discipline and dedications.
Speaking on this occasion Director General of CRPF Surinder Singh Deswal said that the police forces have a sizable contribution to the sporting achievements of the country. Describing the chief guest Shri Rijiju as a physical fitness icon, Shri Deswal added that he is an inspiration for the youths of the country.
Shil Vardhan Singh, Special Director of Inteligance Bureau Vardhan Singh delivered the key note at this occasion as and the Chairman of All India Police Control Board reflected on the significant achievements of the police forces in the field of sports and games.
The Judo Cluster games included disciplines like Judo, Taekwondo, Wushu and Gymnastics. While CRPF bagged Gold Medals in both Male and Female category in Judo & Taekwondo, it won Gold in the Wushu (Male) and also in Gymnastics. The Gold in Wooshu (Female) category went to SSB. The other forces which ensured their presence in the Medal tally include BSF, CISF, ITBP, Assam Rifles, Punjab Police & Assam Police. CRPF topped the Medal tally with 54 Medals which include 24 Gold, 19 Silver & 11 Bronze. CT/GD Jagat Sharma of CRPF, was adjugged as the alround best Gymnast. While the 2nd position in the overall Medal tally went to SSB with 38 Medals, the 3rd position was taken by Punjab Police with 15 Medals.
A Total of 34 Police teams from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and State Police Forces comprising of 1208 sports personnel vied for as many as 15 Trophies and 232 Medals. It was the first time that CRPF hosted this championship. Earlier the Judo Cluster Championship had been organized by Sashtra Seema Bal in 2016, West Bengal Police in 2017 and Odisha Police in 2018.
The five days sporting event which began on the 3rd of this month is in continuation of similar Championships in different sporting disciplines that CRPF has actively been engaging itself in. CRPF, the lead force to fulfill the mandate of maintaining the internal security of the country, having more than 1900 Gallantry Medals to its credit, has also bagged as many as 16 Arjuna Awards and 02 prestigious Padmashri & 01 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for its remarkable performance in a variety of sports and games competitions.
