Sports is soft power, it unites the country, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said while opening the 2023 Khelo India Winter Games.

Gulmarg. Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said on Friday that sport unites the country and also shows its ‘soft power’. Soft power means the ability of a country through which it can get the cooperation of other countries according to its interests without using any force. “Sport is ‘soft power,'” Thakur said at the opening ceremony of the third season of the Khelo India Winter Games. When an athlete wins an international medal, he unites the country. Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal ended India’s 121-year wait in Olympic athletics. This sent a wave of celebration across the country.” Thakur said last year was a big one for Indian sports as players from various sports excelled in international competitions.

The Minister of Sports said: “We won the maximum number of medals at the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. PV Sindhu has won two consecutive Olympic medals in badminton and this is no small achievement. Earlier, Thakur inaugurated 40 Khelo India sports centers built in Jammu and Kashmir online. He said: “It is a proud moment that Jammu and Kashmir has done what other states failed to do. There is an indoor stadium in every district of Jammu and Kashmir and many playgrounds have been built in this union territory.

Thakur said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants many big sports centers to be built in the country so that the players can excel. “A sports university is being built in Manipur and a center of excellence for winter sports will soon be established in Gulmarg,” he said, suggesting the promotion of ‘snow cricket’ to attract tourists to the state. Thakur said, “Snow cricket can be a new initiative that can enhance tourism in Kashmir.

players will benefit
Let us tell you that the Khelo India Youth Winter Games has started from 10th February. The Khelo India Winter Youth Games will be played until February 14. In this regard, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Governor Manoj Sinha said that during the Khelo India Winter Youth Games, 1500 players from 29 states will participate in the tournament. By hosting these games, where players will get a chance to perform well and show their talent, the number of tourists in Jammu and Kashmir will also increase.