Thursday, 24 October 2014 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The State Sports minister Rekha Arya inaugurated the ‘five side open Hockey astroturf’ at Pavilion Ground in Dehradun on Wednesday. In her inaugural speech the Minister said she was happy in dedicating this facility to the players of the State ahead of the 38thNational Games. “I am sure that players will benefit from the national-level facilities during the camps for the 38th National Games, helping them develop their skills and aim for medals,” she added.
She further said that the construction of this turf would not only facilitate practice for state athletes but also nurture a new generation of talented players. She encouraged young athletes to work hard to refine their talents, assuring that the government was standing by them to support at every level.
Averring that the State is poised to evolve into a sports hub alongside its spiritual identity as Devbhoomi, she said that the State government is going all-out to help sports talent flourish with reservation and other initiatives. “Providing players with a 4 per cent horizontal reservation in government services is a watershed development with few parallels across the country,” she added.
After the inauguration of the astroturf, a friendly match was held between Maharana Pratap Sports College and the Uttarakhand Police Hockey Team.
