Glittering ceremony rings curtain down on National Games

RANCHI - Thousands watched the glittering closing ceremony of the 34th National Games at the Birsa Munda Athletic Stadium here. The 35,000-capacity venue was jam packed.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda said that with the successful holding of the Games, the state has proved that it too can match the Commonwealth Games.

The infrastructure created for the National Games at the Mega Sports Complex at Hotwar, Ranchi is at par with the best in the country. This was duly acknowledged by visiting officials and the participating players, Munda said.

Munda added that all efforts would be made to utilise the infrastructure for promoting sports as well as convert it to a Sports University.

Lauding the effort of the home team, Munda announced that all the gold medal winners from the state would be given a cash prize of Rs.7 lakh. The silver and bronze medal winners will get Rs.5 lakh and Rs.3 lakh, respectively.

Even the different coaches responsible for producing such talent would also be suitably rewarded, ranging from Rs.50,000 to Rs.2 lakh, Munda added.