State youth welfare and sports minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia, inaugurated the ET Global Sports Business Show 2017 today at NESCO, Mumbai. In her powerful opening address she pressed on transforming India through sports.

Highlights:

• Developed countries takes sports seriously because it is an expression of their status, developed and a progressive society stemming from the essential building block if self worth.
• In life there is no feeling as satisfying as an accomplishment or victory on the sports platform.
• As the minister sports I thought not only we should be exclusive and start up academies we should also be inclusive and broadband our activities.
• When I first started I realised that our state associations which should be working with the sports department, wasn’t happening. We put together academies. We have 18 academies across the state, started in 2006-07. These academies are coach centric; we do not interfere with any coach who is looking after a vertical. These are academies being entirely run by coaches, running like a boarding school. As the result in 10 years of forming these academies we gave 7 children to the women’s hockey team for Rio Olympic. The men’s academy won the Jawaharlal Nehru Championship Hockey.
• We should set up these academies with one Performa, that no political interference.
• Now we are broad banding to rural areas with Pykka, which was actually born in MP. We cater to children coming from the rural villages and believe this is where our Punji (wealth).
• Transforming India through sports that what we believe in!
• On Indian Sports industry not contributing directly to the economy, Mr. Scindia said, “Unless you build a full ecosystem no vertical is going to help the other. So today if you build a proper sports ecosystem then you have those 100 of little things that helps sports to be where they are, be it the football manufacturer, be it the apparel maker, school or private school. Unless you put that ecosystem together you won’t be special economic help from sports.”
• Highlighting the initiatives undertaken by the government, she said- “I found that there was a lack of initiatives that the government could take because in the end, I am of the firm belief that we are the ones who have the human resource rather than the private foundation. Across the board if you want huge bandwidth of sports talent it will be the government of the states that will give you that wealth of talent. Therefore it very important to set up academies that could be academies of excellence, which are coach driven. We listen what the coach tells us.”
• How can the government and industry sector work together to elevate the sports industry- “We are not being able to finance all the kids so we as the industry to contribute to meet those wills.”
• How can we use technology for sports- “we realise besides the coach coaching you there are cutting edge technology in that particular discipline and therefore its important to measure your body weight and fat etc”
• I want to replicate GSBS in Bhopal.