Athletes at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium were in for a pleasant surprise on Friday morning as they were joined by Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju for a morning jog. A sports and fitness enthusiast, Rijiju was keen to meet athletes during their training session for a first-hand experience of the sporting facilities being extended to athletes.
The sports minister spent time talking to athletes and coaches from various disciplines and asked for suggestions to improve the overall sporting culture in the country, including infrastructure, coaching needs and other facilities. In the informal interaction that followed, coaches and athletes put forward their ideas and spoke of ways to improve the already existing infrastructure.
After a warm-up, the minister tried his hand at javelin throwing, along with other throwers and made an impressive score. He went on to have breakfast at the JLN hostel along with the athletes and chose sprouts, corn, dalia and eggs from the buffet. At the breakfast table, he interacted with gymnasts and enquired about their camp that is underway at Indira Gandhi Stadium. Veteran archer Limba Ram and Olympian hockey player M P Ganesh was also present at breakfast, and shared many stories of India’s performances during their times.
