Lucknow: Acting on the wish of defence minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh that the state capital should host the National Games, the Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association (UPOA) is planning to test the waters before the national event by organising the National Youth Games. During the Sansad Khel Maha Kumbh held at KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium in April last year, Rajnath had requested chief minister Yogi Adityanath that Lucknow should host National Games, adding that Lucknow hosted its first and only National Games in 1948, which was also the first edition held in independent India.UPOA secretary general Anandeshwar Pandey said that keeping in mind the wish of the defence minister and the chief minister, the association was making preparations for it. “If the state govt gives us the go-ahead, we will bid for the first-ever National Youth Games on the lines of the World Youth Games,” he said, adding that Karnataka was scheduled to host the event in 2011 but it never happened.“We are planning to accommodate at least 15 disciplines, with water sports to be held in Gorakhpur and the rest, including shooting — if the Nagar Nigam facility is ready by then — to be held in Lucknow,” Pandey said. Speaking on hosting National Games, he said the next edition had already been awarded to Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh would definitely bid for the upcoming ones once it gets the state govt’s nod for bidding and organising the event. “If Lucknow is awarded the National Games, it will mark a new chapter in the sporting history of both the city and Uttar Pradesh,” Pandey said, adding that there is no dearth of sporting infrastructure in the state.
