Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore created history by becoming the first sportsperson to be appointed as India’s sports minister. The 2004 Athens Olympics Silver medallist has had a distinguished career as a shooter and it goes without saying that there are huge expectations from the former Minister of State for the Information and Broadcasting.

Rathore made his intentions very clear on the very first day in office when he said that sportspersons are the only VIPs in the country.

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“Respect for every athlete and facilities for every player who is representing the country . The environment and attitude in this ministry need to change. There is only one VIP and that is the sportsperson and nobody else,” Rathore told officials in the ministry.

And the minister has set the balls rolling immediately after taking the charge. Days after taking over the charge, the former shooter made a surprise visit to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi to assess the facilities.

And now the sports minister has offered aid to teenage Delhi sprinter Nisar Ahmed. The 15-year-old child had recently set a U-16 national record while winning gold medals in 100m and 200m at Delhi State Athletics meet. As per media reports, his timing in the 100m was even better than that of the winner in the senior category this year.

Nisar’s father, Mohammed Haq is a rickshaw puller and her mother works as a domestic help. The family has also been unable to repay a Rs 28,000 loan Nisar’s father took last year to aid his son’s training. 

Rathore has stepped in to help Nisar and announced that the Sports Authority of India will provide the necessary assistance to the prodigy. He also maintained that identifying potential talent is the main priority of the ministry.

It’s a great start for the sports minister in the direction of spotting and nurturing potential talents and we hope the good work will continue in the near future.

Feature image: AFP