One lakh athletes to be identified within 100 days under KIRTI: Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday launched the second phase of the KIRTI project with an aim to identify one lakh young athletes within 100 days, for support. He felt the nationwide talent hunt under Khelo India Rising Talent Identification (KIRTI) will prove to be a stepping stone to making India one of the top five nations in the Olympic Games by 2047.

"India is full of diversity and potential. There has never been a shortage of brainpower, manpower, or talent in India," said Mandaviya after launching the second phase of the programme at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here.

"Not just the cities, but even in our far-flung areas like the North-East, Coastal, Himalayan and tribal areas can have a quality sportsperson there."

In the third Phase, the KIRTI program will include all 20 disciplines of the Khelo India scheme. The first phase of KIRTI was launched in Chandigarh on March 12 this year.

"We need to have a steady stream of these high-performing assets and that's where KIRTI, a stepping stone to sporting excellence, comes into play.

"Everyone will be given opportunities to develop their sports skills, whether they live in a village or a city, and whether they come from a poor background or otherwise."

In Delhi, Sports Authority of India (SAI) shall conduct assessment of over 25000 MCD students in 12 zones and cover 5 major disciplines: Athletics, Football, Volleyball, Kabaddi, and Kho-Kho, for almost one month.

Addressing school-going children, who attended the launch event, Mandaviya said, "Among you, there will certainly be an Olympic champion. I appreciate the fact that your parents have come and are backing you to play sports."