Karnataka honours 48 athletes, vows rewards
BENGALURU: The department of youth empowerment and sports (DYES) on Monday distributed 30 Ekalavya, nine Karnataka Kreeda Ratna and nine Lifetime Achievement awards for the years 2022 and 2023. Winning a medal in Karnataka, even though it houses seven crore Kannadigas, is not impossible, said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was the chief guest at the event. I focused on many sports but succeeded in nothing. My advice to the youngsters is that you choose sport and stick with it, he said. On the occasion, Siddaramaiah also reiterated the state governments offer of Rs 6 crores and a government job to anyone from Karnataka who secures a gold medal in Olympics. He said each of the 60 sportspersons from Karnataka shortlisted for the 2028 Olympic Games will receive Rs 10 lakh every year. Karnataka Olympic Association (KOA) President K Govindaraj reiterated that tournaments and awards like this would help create a crop of youngsters who can represent the State and the nation at large. Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad assured both the award winners and budding athletes that the state government would support them. Bengaluru-based athlete Priya H Mohan, who received the Ekalavya award for the year 2022, said, Winning this award is a huge moral boost for me to win more laurels for India and Karnataka.
13 C
