Haryana Olympic Games: Major Update on Schedule Coming Soon

A significant development has emerged regarding the Haryana Olympic Games, with Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) President Meenu Beniwal confirming that the state games will definitely be held this year. Speaking during her visit to Champions Aquatic Academy in Bahadurgarh, Beniwal stated that the official dates for the event would be finalized by May 30.

"Political conflicts between previous governments prevented Haryana State Games from being held for the past 15 years," Beniwal explained. "This unfortunate situation has blocked employment opportunities for approximately 15,000 athletes and deprived them of crucial support systems." 

During her visit, Beniwal received a warm welcome from HOA Vice President Anil Khatri, who also serves as Secretary General of the Haryana Swimming Association. She inspected the swimming facilities at the academy and praised Khatri for developing excellent training infrastructure.

In a significant announcement for regional sports development, Beniwal revealed that the Haryana Olympic Association plans to adopt 22 sports disciplines across the state. "We aim to establish at least one sport as a center of excellence in each district," she said. "HOA will provide necessary facilities while the respective sports associations will oversee operations, following a model similar to the Sports Authority of India (SAI)."

Beniwal mentioned that third-party agreements might be considered if needed to facilitate this ambitious district-level sports development plan. Her leadership has brought stability to the organization, with the entire HOA team being elected unopposed.

The announcement comes as welcome news for thousands of athletes across Haryana who have been waiting for the state games to showcase their talents and potentially secure government employment through sports quotas. If held annually as intended, these games would create regular opportunities for athletes to earn medals and qualify for jobs.

Various officials from the Haryana Swimming Association attended the event, including Suresh June, Sunil Khatri, Satyanarayan Sharma, Balwan, Vikas Khatri, Balwan Kadiyan, Virendra Beniwal, Sundar Singh, Harsh Sharma, and swimming coach Sai Jadhav.