The Delhi assembly on Monday passed a bill to set up a sports university here, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying it will help the country in winning more Olympic medals than China in the coming years.
Participating in a discussion on the Sports University Bill, he said political leaders and bureaucrats will not have a say in the varsity's functioning and it will be run by professionals.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia who tabled the bill, said the university will open with the resolve to win at least three gold medals in 2024 (Paris Olympics) and 10 medals in the next Olympics Games in Los Angeles (2028).
The university will come up on a 70 acre plot of land in Mundka.
Kejriwal said in the last 70 years, the country has won only 28 medals in the Olympics. In the last Olympics in 2016, China won 70 medals, he said, adding that there is no dearth of talent in India.
"This bill will realise the dream of every youth and sportsperson in the country of winning more gold medals than China.
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"I am sure this dream will be realised in my lifetime. I will not go anywhere unless India wins more gold than China," Kejriwal said in his address in the House.
He said the sports university will help India overtake China in less time than it took the neighbouring country to dominate the global sports arena.
The chief minister said though Delhi's youth will be given priority in admissions to the proposed university, talented youngsters and sportsperson from across the country will also get the opportunity to enrol at the institution.
"This university will prove to be the 'Mecca' of all sportspersons of the country and relieve every patriot of the pain they feel when India fails to win medals at international events and the Olympic," the chief minister said.
Commenting on the current scenario, Kejriwal said although India and its people including the youth are the best in the world, but the government and system fail to support talent.
"As soon as a sports talent is spotted, the entire system gets down to suppress it. There is no support from the government or the system," he complained.