TFP Bureau, Raipur, December 25, 2025: The Parliamentary Sports Festival ‘Fit Youth, Developed India’ concluded on Thursday with a grand closing ceremony at the Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium in Raipur, marking the culmination of a four-month-long sporting celebration that witnessed massive participation across the Raipur parliamentary constituency. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai attended the event as the chief guest and encouraged athletes to pursue excellence with discipline and determination.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya, and Members of Parliament from across the country addressed the ceremony virtually through video conferencing. The packed auditorium listened attentively to the Prime Minister’s motivational address, which underscored the role of sports in nation-building.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Sai extended greetings on Good Governance Day and paid tributes to Bharat Ratna and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He said initiatives such as the Parliamentary Sports Festival strengthen the sports culture among youth and provide an effective platform for identifying and nurturing talent from grassroots levels.
The Chief Minister said the festival was organised across 36 locations in the Raipur Lok Sabha constituency, drawing enthusiastic participation from school and college students as well as youth from rural and urban areas. He congratulated Raipur MP Brijmohan Agrawal for successfully conceptualising and executing the large-scale sporting event.
Emphasising the values imparted through sports, the Chief Minister said that victory and rankings are not the only measures of success. Discipline, teamwork, dedication and consistent practice are equally important qualities that shape a successful athlete. He expressed confidence that several participants from the festival would go on to represent Chhattisgarh and India at national and international platforms.
Reiterating the state government’s commitment to sports development, the Chief Minister said several concrete steps are being taken to support athletes. The state sports awards have been reinstated, players selected for the Olympics will receive a reward of ₹21 lakh, while Olympic gold, silver and bronze medallists from Chhattisgarh will be awarded ₹3 crore, ₹2 crore and ₹1 crore respectively.
He also highlighted that Chhattisgarh will host the Khelo India Tribal Games in 2026, calling it a matter of pride for the state. The international cricket stadium in Raipur, the third largest in the country, will host major matches again from January. Dedicated Khelo India offices have also been established to systematically nurture young sporting talent.
Addressing the ceremony, MP Brijmohan Agrawal said the Sansad Khel Mahotsav was launched on August 29 and conducted successfully across 36 locations. He stressed that sports are as important as academics in shaping a balanced personality and can bring recognition to the state and the nation. He said the festival recorded participation from 542 villages and more than 85,000 players, making it one of the largest such initiatives in the country.
The MP noted that the festival presented a unique blend of traditional and modern sports, with events such as kabaddi, volleyball, fugdi and gedi drawing widespread enthusiasm. The participation of elderly women, transgender players and school dropouts conveyed a strong message of social inclusion and harmony. Experienced players were also felicitated during the event.
Approximately 1,500 sports officials, school teachers and retired sports personnel contributed to the smooth conduct of the competitions, which were also held on university campuses. Agrawal said future editions of the festival would be made more comprehensive and impactful.
At the closing ceremony, winners were felicitated with cash prizes, medals, certificates and T-shirts. Teams securing first place in group sports received ₹11,000, while second-place teams were awarded ₹5,000. In individual events, first and second prize winners received ₹3,100 and ₹1,000 respectively.
The event was attended by MLAs Rajesh Munat, Sunil Soni, Purandar Mishra, Motilal Sahu and Kiran Singh Deo, District Panchayat President Naveen Agarwal, NAN President Sanjay Srivastava, District Panchayat CEO Kumar Biswaranjan, senior officials of the sports department, public representatives, schoolchildren and a large number of citizens.
