EEMAGINE 2019: "We are determined to make 2028, the year of India at Olympics” - Neelam Kapur
EEMAGINE 2019 convention was graced by well-known speakers and successful leaders from India’s creative industries. They came together on one platform to debate and discuss, to entertain and educate. Among these were Brian Tellis, Neelesh Misra, Neelam Kapur, Sabbas Joseph, Gitika Ganju and many more.
Neelam Kapur, former Director General of Sports Authority of India in her session discussed how sports has become an important part of the event industry and how the journey of a sportsperson has evolved from being merely a hobby to a full time profession.
She spoke about government’s ‘Khelo India’ programme which identifies young people of the country with sports potential and talent. This initiative monitors these players and takes care of their education and training requirements.
She said, “At the Khelo India Youth Games we are trying to create aspirations, respect and a sense of accomplishment among these youngsters for the sports they play. What did we do to achieve this was to create an event of international standards like the Commonwealth Games.”
She stated that there is a whole industry which is developing around sports and the government has understood this sunrise sector well to give it importance so that it is enabled to create employment opportunities for the youth.
She added, “We are focusing on Olympics 2024 and 2028 because we know that an athlete cannot be made in a day and has to go rigorous and intense training to win medals for the country. We are determined to make 2028- the year of India at Olympics.”
She concluded by saying that the sports industry has evolved in the past few years to be a medium of entertainment and the media has known its importance and has helped in the development of this important sector.
