Sports

The Himachal Pradesh government has taken a significant step to promote sports by providing government jobs to 99 sportspersons under a dedicated sports quota, highlighting the state’s increased focus on athletic development and youth engagement. 📌 Sports Quota & Employment:Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced that a fixed three-percent sports quota has been implemented in state government jobs for outstanding athletes. Since 2024, 99 players from across Himachal have received government employment through this quota, offering them career security and stable income in recognition of their sporting achievements. 📈 Strengthening Sports Culture:The move underscores the government’s aim to make sports a viable full-time profession for young athletes, rather than just a hobby. By guaranteeing jobs tied to sporting excellence, the administration hopes to encourage more youth to seriously pursue competitive sports. 💪 Infrastructure & Incentives:Along with employment support, the state is investing in modern sports infrastructure, improved prize money, and higher diet allowances for athletes. These incentives are part of broader efforts to enhance training facilities, nurture talent, and motivate athletes to compete at state, national and international levels. 🏟️ New Sports Facilities:The government is also constructing a large indoor multipurpose sports complex in Nadaun (in the CM’s home constituency) covering nearly 9,735 square metres at an estimated cost of over ₹112 crore. This facility will include a swimming pool, shooting range, gymnasium, yoga hall, courts for badminton, volleyball and tennis, and space for combat sports, significantly upgrading local training opportunities. 👍 Youth Engagement & Social Impact:Officials say these measures are helping to channelise youth energy positively, promote fitness and healthy lifestyles, and steer young people away from social evils such as substance abuse. By combining jobs with sports promotion, the initiative aims to build a sustainable athletic ecosystem in the hill state. 🟢 Key Points at a Glance

🏐 International Representation: U-15 Volleyball Championship 🏆 Event & Performance Three young girl athletes from Himachal Pradesh were honoured for representing India in the U-15 International Volleyball Competition held in Shangluo, China from December 4–13, 2025. India competed at the ISF U-15 World School Volleyball Championship 2025, where both boys’ and girls’ teams took part. In the boys’ event, Team India secured a bronze medal, defeating Brazil — marking one of the country’s notable performances at this under-15 world-level school championship. (Himachal’s honoured athletes were from the girls’ contingent that participated on the international stage.) 👩‍🎓 The Athletes & Honour Ceremony 🎖️ Who Were Honoured The Directorate of School Education in Shimla officially felicitated the three athletes: These players train at the Thakur Ram Lal Sports Hostel in Jubbal, which is one of the key sports training centres nurturing young talent in the region. 🏅 Recognition by Officials The Education Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Rohit Thakur, led the felicitation ceremony held at the Thakur Ramlal Swarn Jayanti Government Senior Secondary School (Centre of Excellence) in Jubbal (Shimla district). He praised the athletes for their dedication and achievement in representing India internationally at such a young age. The minister also highlighted the role of sports hostels and training programmes in helping young athletes excel, and reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to improving sports infrastructure and support for budding sportspersons in Himachal Pradesh. 📢 Government & Sports Development Context Himachal Pradesh has been actively supporting youth sports through:✔ Sports hostels training hundreds of young athletes in disciplines such as volleyball, kabaddi and badminton.✔ Increased investments in sports facilities, diet allowances, and coaching for players representing the state. These initiatives aim to promote competitive sports from a grassroots level and nurture talent capable of competing at national and international levels. 🌟 Significance