Govt launches ‘Khelo India E-Pathshala’ for far-off athletes

The Covid-19 pandemic has had its impact felt over almost every profession. However, some of the worst struck are athletes, who depend on regular practice and outdoor physical activities to maintain their fitness for tournaments to come.

Keeping the importance of regular training for sportspersons in mind, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, along with Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, inaugurated ‘Khelo India E-Pathshala’ programme. Available in webinar format, the programme aims at providing online education and coaching to athletes living in far-off areas.

Launched by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), in association with National Sporting Federations (NSFs), the inaugural episode of the webinar was dedicated to archery, and was attended by young archers, archery coaches and experts of the discipline from across the country, who exchanged some extremely useful insights about the sport.

Sports Minister Rijiju said such technology-based initiatives are need of the hour. He also pointed out that the unique programme will connect athletes from secluded areas of the country, who may not always have access to the guidance from established players and coaches. Kiren Rijiju also expressed his confidence over the programme for motivating more young athletes to take up sport in a professional capacity.

After the inaugural webinar, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, who also serves as the President of Archery Association of India (AAI), said that the web programme will help connect even those young sportspersons who reside in small villages and tribal areas. “The programme will make sure they get access to the best coaches via Khelo India e-pathshala,” Munda added.

The Khelo India e-learning programme is going to cover as many as 21 sporting disciplines, including, athletics, archery, boxing, hockey, judo, kayaking & canoeing, cycling, fencing, football, gymnastics, kabaddi, para games, table tennis, volleyball, rowing, shooting, taekwondo, weightlifting, wushu, and wrestling.

Attended by senior coaches, the e-programme will also be observed by a committee of Sports Scientist, High-Performance Directors and High-Performance Managers. Regular feedback will be shared by this committee to assess the areas of improvement.