Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the 58th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in the presence of legendary Indian sportsperson PT Usha and officials of national and state units of the Athletics Federation of India at Sarusajai Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday.
Delivering the inaugural speech, Chief Minister Sonowal urged the athletes to work hard with dedication in their respective field of sports. He said in today’s inter-connected world, excellence in sports gives a distinct identity to a nation and therefore the Indian sportspersons must toil hard and exhibit their best in the playground.
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Urging the sportspersons to practice well for the forthcoming Asian Games to be held in Jakarta, Sonowal expressed confidence on the abilities of the Indian athletes. He also highlighted initiatives launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for improvement of sports in the country and called upon the youth to engage with discipline and responsibility in the country’s transformative journey.
Underlining the laurels brought to the nation by sprinter PT Usha, who was also present at the inaugural ceremony, Chief Minister Sonowal said her success continues to inspire generations of Indian sportspersons. He also informed about several international sports events hosted by the state successfully in recent times and emphasised ensuring best hospitality to the participating athletes so that they could taken back the memories of Assam with them.
The Chief Minister also expressed hope that the new sprint queen of India Hima Das would bring more glory to the nation with her success in future sports events. He also pinned same hope for other budding sportspersons of the state as well.
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Chairman of the organizing committee Lakhya Konwar delivered the welcome speech, President of Athletics Federation of India Adille J Sumariwalla and President of Assam Athletics Association Rockybul Hussain also spoke on the occasion.
Minister of State for Power and PWD Topon Kumar Gogoi, MLA Rituparna Baruah, vice-chairman of Sports Authority of Assam Queen Oja and General Secretaries of Athletics Federation of India and Assam Athletics Association were also present at the inaugural programme.