'Khelo India' is a path to Olympics: Sports Minster Rathore

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Rathore said on Tuesday that the 'Khelo India' programme was a path for podium finishes at the Olympics.

Speaking at a Khelo India event here, Rathore told reporters, "This is the path that we have set at school right up to the Olympics."

"You can live your dream at the first level at the Khelo India school games and then your second dream will be to play in the Khelo India college games. And if you play these two and if you are selected by our champion selectors you will be in the line to be on the podium in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. And if you be there, I can guarantee there will be many more podium finishes at the Olympics," the 2004 Olympics silver medallist added.

The programme has been introduced to revive the sports culture in the country at the grassroots level and make India a sporting nation.

The first Khelo India School Games, which are a part of the programme, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 31.

The event will conclude on February 8 and the sports minister expressed that he was happy with the standard of arrangements made for the games.

The newly elected sports minister also added that his aim was to create something along the lines of 'college game of America'.