Kurukshetra (Haryana) [India], October 31 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Naveen Jindal on Saturday inaugurated the Sansad Khel Mahotsav in Kurukshetra.  

Jindal highlighted the growing enthusiasm among youngsters for the MP Sports Festival, emphasising the role of sports in promoting national unity, encouraging youth participation and contributing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a drug-free India.

'Today, we inaugurated the MP Sports Festival. It is particularly significant that we are launching the festival on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which is celebrated as National Unity Day. There is tremendous enthusiasm among the people, especially the youth, as the previous edition of the MP Sports Festival was organised successfully,' Jindal told the reporters. 

'This time, even more people are coming forward to participate, with enthusiastic involvement from the youth. I hope everyone joins this initiative and that, through sports, we can make a meaningful contribution towards fulfilling our Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision of building a drug-free nation and empowering our youth,' he added. 

Paralympic gold medallist Navdeep Singh also praised the Sansad Khel Mahotsav for providing grassroots athletes with a platform to showcase their talent. 

He emphasised the importance of such competitions in identifying promising players and helping them progress from district-level events to state, national and international stages.

'It is wonderful to see a competition being organised for grassroots-level athletes, providing them with an opportunity to showcase their abilities and helping identify raw talent. We need more such sporting initiatives to promote different sports and recognise emerging players. This is a very positive step,' Singh said. 

'Such platforms give athletes the opportunity to compete and demonstrate their potential. District-level coaches can then identify promising talent and guide them towards state, national and even international competitions. This is exactly the kind of initiative we need, and more such tournaments should be organised to discover and nurture sporting talent,' he added. 

Singh also highlighted the 2027 World Para Athletics Championships as the next major target, with a focus on securing qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The World Para Athletics Championships offer a direct qualification pathway to the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games, with individual gold medallists in eligible events securing a qualification slot for their respective countries.

'The World Championships are scheduled for next year. We will compete at the World Championships and aim to secure qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics,' he added. (ANI)