Patna: The stage is set for the 18th National Inter District Junior Athletics Meet (NIDJAM), beginning at the Patliputra Sports Complex on Thursday (February 9).
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will inaugurate the biggest athletic extravaganza at 4pm on Thursday. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and Bihar Minister for Art, Culture, and Youth Department Jitendra Kumar Rai, along with other dignitaries, will also be present at the inauguration ceremony.
Speaking to the media on the eve of the meet, Bihar minister Jitendra Kumar Rai said that the Bihar government is committed to the all-round development of sports and sportspersons and that all necessary steps are being taken for this. From high-level training to ensuring the availability of state-of-the-art sports equipment, the government is providing every resource, he said. Talented players are being selected by organising various sports events at the village, block, and district levels, as well as at the state level, and they are being trained by qualified coaches.
Giving detailed information about the NIDJAM event, Bihar State Sports Authority, Director General Raveendran Sankaran said that in this athletic meet, which lasts for four days, selected players from every district of the country will participate in various events. This year, 6000 players from about 600 districts of the country and about 1500 coaches, managers, and representatives will participate in this meet.
About 520 athletes from 38 districts and two police districts in Bihar are participating in the NIDJAM2023. At the end of the meet, a 15-member selection committee consisting of coaches and experts will select around 250 talented players who will be trained in the national camp for future national, international meets and the Olympics.
Athletics Federation of India president Adille J. Sumariwala said that the aim of NIDJAM is to select talented players from every corner of the country at an early age and prepare them as champions in national and international competitions under the training of skilled coaches.
NIDJAM began in 2003 with only 155 districts across the country participating. In the 17th NIDJAM held at Tirupati in 2019, 4626 players from 503 districts of the country participated. Out of all the NIDJAM events held since 2003, Bihar is the biggest, with a maximum of 600 districts and more than 6,000 players participating in Bihar NIDJAM 2023.
More than one lakh players from districts across the country participate in this district level athletic talent search competition for under-14 and under-16 age groups, which establishes it as the world’s biggest sports competition.
This competition is being organised at Pataliputra Sports Complex. Separate, easy, smooth, and extensive arrangements have been made for all the boys and girls players coming from all over the country to take part in this, along with their stay and food for four days. For girls, it is arranged at the Pataliputra Sports Complex, and for boys, it is arranged in the OP Shah Community Hall, Malsalami, Patna City. The food for the players has been prepared in two pandals built on 40000 square feet in the Rainbow Ground.There will be arrangements for officials and media in another pandal of 20,000 square feet.
Addressing the reporters, the Art, Culture, and Youth Department’s Secretary, Bandana Preyshi said that the government is committed to taking its rich heritage in sports to new heights, and for this, every possible effort and cooperation is being made. The Art, Culture and Youth Department and the Bihar State Sports Authority are constantly trying to improve the level of sports and players with full dedication in this direction. Our aim is to ensure the participation of players from Bihar in the national team participating in every sport in the 2028 Olympics.
Adille J. Sumariwala, President of the Athletics Federation of India, Dr. Lalit K. Bhanot, Former Secretary of the Indian Olympic Association, Olympian Bahadur Singh, Anju Bobby George, and others were also present at the press conference.
Meanwhile, athletes and officials have started reaching Patna from different parts of the state.
