New Year Greetings and Encouragement for Young Players
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya met the Arunachal Pradesh U-16 cricket team at Surat Airport on Thursday. The young players had arrived to participate in the Vijay Merchant Trophy, and the minister took the opportunity to extend New Year wishes and appreciate their budding talent.
The meeting was described as heartwarming, with the young cricketers expressing excitement during their interaction with the minister. Photos and videos from the event showed the players taking pictures with Mansukh Mandaviya, who also posed for a group photo with the team.
Arunachal Pradesh Team Arrives for Vijay Merchant Trophy
The U-16 cricket team from Arunachal Pradesh travelled to Surat to play in the prestigious Vijay Merchant Trophy tournament. The minister shared that meeting these young athletes filled him with joy and inspiration. He also conveyed his New Year greetings to the team and their families.
In a social media post, Mandaviya wrote:
“I had a sudden meeting at Surat Airport with the U-16 team from Arunachal Pradesh that came to play the Vijay Merchant Trophy. Meeting them filled my heart with joy; I extended New Year wishes to everyone.”
High-Performance Centre in Bengaluru: Strengthening India’s Sports Ecosystem
Recently, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya virtually inaugurated the foundation stone laying ceremony for a state-of-the-art High Performance Centre at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Netaji Subhas Southern Centre, Bengaluru.
The project, with an estimated cost of Rs 75 crore, aims to enhance India’s elite athlete preparation ecosystem. It will offer world-class sports science and support facilities under one roof, helping athletes reach their highest potential.
The virtual event was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, SAI, HAL, as well as coaches, sports experts, and eminent athletes.
Focus on High-Performance and Podium Success
Addressing the gathering, Mandaviya emphasized that the new centre reflects India’s shift from merely promoting participation to achieving podium-level success in sports. He highlighted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the “reform, perform, and transform” mantra is transforming India’s sports ecosystem and enabling athletes to compete at the highest international level.
