MP Sports Festival Opens New Doors For Talent; Fuels Fitness & Careers: Dinesh Sharma

Rajya Sabha MP and former Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dr Dinesh Sharma on Sunday said the MP Sports Festival is emerging as a powerful platform for identifying and nurturing new sporting talent, while also strengthening India’s growing sports ecosystem.

Addressing players and officials in Lucknow, he stressed that organised sports now offer opportunity, dignity, and long-term careers to youth across rural and urban India.

Dr Sharma said the MP Sports competitions are giving first-time athletes a stage to showcase their abilities and compete at higher levels. He announced that the winners of the festival will be honoured on December 25, marking the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, adding emotional and national significance to the event.

Congratulating Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for ensuring effective coordination of the MP Sports initiative, Dr Sharma urged young athletes to embrace sports not merely as competition but as a way of life.

He said sports keep the body healthy, sharpen the mind, and maintain emotional balance, making them essential for holistic development.

Highlighting a major shift in social thinking, Dr Sharma said India has moved beyond the outdated belief that sports distract students from success.

“The old saying ‘play and become mischievous’ has now transformed into ‘play and become great’,” he said. He noted that sports today stand as a serious profession and a fast-growing business sector, supported strongly by both central and state governments.

Sports, Youth, Health & Opportunity

Dr Sharma pointed out that governments now reward sporting excellence with cash incentives, employment opportunities, and public recognition.

He encouraged athletes not to lose heart in defeat, reminding them that today’s loss can become tomorrow’s victory with discipline and perseverance.

Under the MP Sports Festival, multiple competitions were organised across the Mohanlalganj parliamentary constituency.

Players who won at the panchayat level from Sarojini Nagar, Malihabad, Sidhauli, Mohanlalganj, and Bakshi Ka Talab assembly segments competed in semi-final and final matches at KD Singh Babu Stadium.

Dr Sharma said these events helped bring hidden talent into the national spotlight.

The MP Sports Mahotsav, organised under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Fit for Viksit Bharat’ campaign, began on September 29 and will conclude on December 25.

Dr Sharma inaugurated the volleyball finals at KD Singh Babu Stadium in the presence of hundreds of players and spectators.

Several BJP leaders and social representatives attended the event, including Awadh region BJP Vice President Rajeev Mishra, Lucknow BJP Media In-Charge Praveen Garg, Deendayal Seva Pratishthan President Praveen Mishra, former corporator GD Shukla, and other senior leaders.

Officials confirmed that competitions will continue at Chowk Stadium and KD Singh Babu Stadium, while thousands of players will gather at CMS Ground, LDA, on December 25 to listen to the Prime Minister’s address and participate in the prize distribution ceremony.

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