23 sports academies to be established in Uttarakhand, 920 athletes to be trained every year, CM Dhami announced

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended the closing ceremony of the Uttarakhand Premier League 2025 on Sunday, October 5th. While presenting the trophy to Haridwar Elmas, the winner of the final match, CM Dhami also made several announcements.

Attending the UPL 2 closing ceremony as the chief guest, Chief Minister Dhami said, “I urge all the teams and players who fell just short of victory this time to recognize that victory and defeat are natural in sports, but what is most important is your sportsmanship, hard work, and the urge to constantly move forward.”

The Chief Minister said that sports are not only important for the physical and mental development of youth, but also foster qualities like discipline, teamwork, and resilience. Keeping this in mind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from the beginning of his tenure, laid a strong foundation for promoting a sports culture in the country through programs like Khelo India and the Fit India Movement.

CM Dhami said that under the Prime Minister’s able leadership, India is scaling new heights in sports and establishing its unique identity on the global stage. Under PM Modi’s guidance, his government is continuously striving to promote sports culture in the state and encourage both male and female athletes.

The Chief Minister expressed his delight in learning that the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand is promoting women’s cricket alongside male athletes. Four women’s teams performed well in this tournament, and he is confident that women’s participation in this league will prove to be a milestone in the future.

The Chief Minister said that in such a short time, the girls from the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand have twice won the Champions Trophy in the Under-19 category competition organized under the auspices of the BCCI. It is a matter of great pride for his state that three girls from the mountainous state, Raghavi Bisht, Prema Rawat, and Nandani Kashyap, have succeeded in establishing their identity at the international level. Due to his excellent performance, he has secured a place in the Indian team for the ongoing series in New Zealand.

The Chief Minister said that it is also a matter of concern today why Uttarakhand’s talent is going abroad. We see that our hill players are performing well in the IPL, but they are playing for teams from other states, not their own.

The Chief Minister said that he wants to urge the officials of the Cricket Association to make arrangements so that the Uttarakhand team becomes the strongest team in the country. Because our government is continuously making efforts to promote sports culture in the state and encourage athletes. The grand and successful organization of the 38th National Games held in our state this year paved the way for establishing Uttarakhand as not only the land of gods but also as a land of sports. Uttarakhand’s athletes created history by winning 103 medals in this National Games, enhancing the state’s pride.

23 Sports Academies to be Built in the State

The Chief Minister said that today Uttarakhand is also being considered one of the leading states in the country in terms of world-class sports infrastructure. Now, not only national but also international-level sports competitions are being organized in our state. With the aim of establishing Uttarakhand as a sports hub, our government will soon implement a Sports Legacy Plan in the state, under which 23 sports academies will be established in eight major cities of the state. Each year, 920 world-class athletes and 1,000 other athletes will receive high-level training in these academies.

The Chief Minister stated that our government is also rapidly working towards establishing Uttarakhand’s first sports university in Haldwani and a women’s sports college in Lohaghat. To promote the overall development of sports in the state and encourage athletes, our government has also implemented a new sports policy. Under this policy, out-of-turn government jobs are being provided to national and international medal-winning athletes. Additionally, our government is encouraging emerging young athletes in the state through programs such as the Chief Minister’s Sports Development Fund, the Chief Minister’s Sports Promotion Scheme, the Chief Minister’s Emerging Players Scheme, and the Sports Kit Scheme.