Sports and outside actions are glorious instruments that may (and due to this fact should) be used to rework youth into an organised, self-confident and competent workforce to grasp the overarching aim of socio-economic improvement. No surprise selling sports activities among the many youth in Jammu and Kashmir has been one of many areas of prime focus of the UT administration since August 2019.

Using sports activities as a medium to positively channelise the vitality and potential of the younger technology has been integral to the event of our nation’s human capital ever since 1982 once we hosted the Asian Games in New Delhi.

On February 3, 2022, the J&Okay authorities introduced a brand new sports activities coverage geared toward enabling Kashmiri youth to excel in sporting actions and scale new heights. This coverage was launched at a time when the millennial youth of the area began experiencing the return of normalcy in J&Okay and had been in search of constructive avenues to showcase their talents.

There has been a rising realisation that peace and improvement may also be achieved by empowering each the youth and ladies by means of improved sports activities, well being and training infrastructure, apart from social and cultural initiatives.

Data supplied by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports reveals a considerable rise in sports activities infrastructure in J&Okay. For instance, in 2014-15, whereas there have been a mere 21 Khelo India Centres in J&Okay, by 2020-21, this quantity has gone up six occasions to a formidable 127. Today, J&Okay has 9 sports activities stadiums versus two, 9 years in the past, whereas the variety of taking part in fields has gone up from 50 to 300.

A pivotal function in growing sports activities amenities throughout the UT has been performed by the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council (J&KSC), which by working additional time with exemplary dedication has been capable of create 82 new taking part in fields and is aiming at including one other 170. It has additionally taken a lead function in upgrading 77 current sports activities amenities. Thus, for younger and proficient sportspersons of J&Okay, an setting to excel is being supplied.

Disciplines like soccer, cricket and wushu have emerged as the most well-liked sports activities in Jammu and Kashmir. For instance, Real Kashmir FC, a soccer membership, has been taking part within the I-League, a high division of Indian soccer, since 2018. In 2021, the membership received the distinguished Durand Cup, which is without doubt one of the oldest soccer tournaments in Asia.

Recognising the potential of winter sports activities in J&Okay, the Jammu and Kashmir Winter Games Association (J&KWGA) has been organising the Khelo India Winter Games since 2020. In 2021, these video games noticed the participation of over 1,000 athletes from throughout the nation, which is indicative of the truth that J&Okay has emerged as a brand new sports activities vacation spot in India.

Today, J&Okay has its justifiable share of sporting icons. For occasion, there’s 11-year-old Tajamul Islam, who received gold on the World Kickboxing Championship. Javed Ahmed received a bronze medal in biking on the 2018 Asian Games. Mehrajuddin Wadoo is a soccer star who has received the I-League and the Durand Cup. Ishfaq Ahmed is a part of the Indian nationwide soccer crew, all-rounder Parvez Ghulam Rasool Zargar and quick bowler Umran Malik have represented India in cricket.

Top J&Okay gamers Surya Bhanu Partap Singh, Abhishek Jamwal and Jiya Manhas emerged winners on this 12 months’s Wushu Stars Championship held in Moscow, Russia, as did 17-year-old Sadia Tariq in 2022. Farooq Ahmed Dar is a high para-athlete of J&Okay, whereas Shabnam Bashir has excelled in martial arts, clinching gold on the 2019 National Kickboxing Championships.

Placing paramount significance on sports activities, the J&Okay authorities has recognised its potential energy to aspire, encourage and unite. It is taking pains to make sure the supply of world-class amenities to budding sportspersons and even assist them by means of numerous initiatives and by offering monetary help.

A decade in the past, Kashmir was synonymous with terrorism, militancy, civilian unrest, avenue clashes and instability. Today, it has an economic system that’s performing nicely, a society that’s at peace with itself, and a booming tourism trade and hospitality sector. The agriculture and horticulture sectors are on the mend, J&Okay is an rising big within the area of sports activities and journey exercise.

The writer is Editor Brighter Kashmir, Author, TV commentator, political analyst and columnist. Email: farooqwani61@yahoo.co.in. Views expressed within the above piece are private and solely that of the writer. They don’t essentially replicate News18’s views.