Khelo India e-Pathshala will motivate more young athletes to take up sport professionally: Rijiju

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju and Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda on Monday inaugurated Khelo India e -Pathshala programme through a webinar which was attended by young archers, archery coaches and experts of the discipline, from across the country.

Launched by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), in association with National Sporting Federations (NSF), the Khelo India e-Pathshala programme is India's first-ever national-level open online coaching and education programme for grassroot-level athletes. It aims to improve the technical skill of grassroot-level athletes all across India, through a module that will be taught by eminent athletes and senior coaches.

Inaugurating the session on Archery, Sports Minister said an initiative like this is the need of the hour and will be immensely helpful for young athletes.

"The unique program will connect athletes from secluded areas of India, who may not always have access to established players and coaches. I am confident this programme will motivate more young athletes to take up sport professionally," Rijiju said.

Arjun Munda reiterated Sports Minister's thoughts and said, "The programme will help connect even those young archers who are in small villages and tribal areas and will make sure they get access to the best coaches via Khelo India e-pathshala. It is an unique initiative taken by SAI and gives a level-platform for athletes from all geographical areas and backgrounds."

In the coming days, the e-learning programme will cover 21 sporting disciplines, including, Athletics, Archery, Boxing, Cycling, Fencing, Football, Gymnastics, Hockey, Judo, Kayaking & Canoeing, Kabaddi, Para Games, Rowing, Shooting, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling and Wushu.

The sessions will have eminent athletes demonstrating technical skills and speaking to young athletes about techniques to help them develop their game even further. The programme will also be attended by senior coaches and observed by a committee of Sports Scientist, High-Performance Directors and High-Performance Managers. The committee will share feedback on a regular basis on the module and suggest inclusion of new topics if needed.

The SAI has been conducting online developmental programmes for coaches, elite athletes and other stakeholders since April 16, 2020, following the nationwide lockdown owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

( With inputs from ANI )