Ministry for Youth Affairs and Sports here organised the first Grameen Marathon for the youth of rural regions in Delhi. The marathon started from Nizampur village in Delhi with around 11,000 participants.
Arjun Awardee and ace badminton coach Pullela Gopichand was the Chief Guest at the flag off ceremony. He encouraged the young participants and said that this a unique initiative by the Sports Ministry under the leadership of Sports Minister Vijay Goel. Gopichand further stated that this will enable us to scout for hidden talent in rural regions and train them for future. Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel had earlier mentioned that such initiatives would go a long way in providing a platform to talented youngsters to represent India. Shri Goel had stated that a major chunk of our players come from rural and tribal regions and hence it is vital for us to organize such sporting events that help them grow and provides us chance to train them further so that they represent India.
The first three position holders received a prize money of Rs. 21000, Rs. 11000 and Rs. 5000 respectively in each category (Boys and Girls) along with 10 consolation prizes. The Ministry will conduct more Grameen Marathons across Delhi in the weeks to come.