Commonwealth delegates to study Haryana’s sports talent hunt
By IANSWednesday, January 19, 2011
CHANDIGARH - The ‘Play for India’ sports talent hunt - the Sports Physical Aptitude Test (SPAT) programme of Haryana - has been chosen for presentation at the conference of Commonwealth Advisory Board on sports to be held in New Delhi next month.
Haryana’s director of sports O.P. Singh said Wednesday that the delegates participating in the conference would also go for a field visit to Moti Lal Nehru School of Sports, Rai, 50 km from Delhi, Feb 9.
The delegates from 70 Commonwealth countries are expected to attend the conference.
Singh said the SPAT programme of Haryana is a unique initiative in the country which aims at ‘catch them young’ to groom budding players from a young age.
“This programme is not only attracting the sports talent in the state but it has become a matter of discussion and study among other states also. The sports ministry of the government of India is also wondering that how Haryana is able to attract players in such a large number,” Singh said.
“This year about 25 lakh (2.5 million) sportspersons in the age group of eight to 19 years applied under SPAT-2011 programme. Out of these, about 7.5 lakh (750,000) applications were received online,” he pointed out.
Singh said that the first round of SPAT-2011 was held in schools Dec 3-9, 2010, and the players who scored 75 percent or more marks in the three tests of physical ability were now taking the second round.
He said in this second round, which began Tuesday in 19 out of Haryana’s 21 districts, except Palwal and Mewat, 111,000 players participated. The third round will select the sportspersons under the ‘Play for India’ programme.
Haryana sportspersons excelled in the recent New Delhi Commonwealth Games (CWG) and the Guangzhou Asian Games, winning the maximum number of medals for the country.
