NEW DELHI, Nov 3: Representatives of 10 states in a meeting on Tuesday formed the Indian Association of Traditional Sports and Games (IATSG) to revive and promote traditional games and sports under the guidance of the International Council for Traditional Sports and Games (ICTSG).
Arunachal Olympic Association president Padi Richo was unanimously elected as the president, Satish Singh (of Uttar Pradesh) and Dr Sandeep Bhalla (of Haryana) as senior vice presidents, and Aman Kumar Sharma (of Punjab) as secretary-general.
The new office bearers held a threadbare discussion on traditional sports and games across India and ways to revive, promote and popularize them, as the ICTSG receives support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
“There is no dearth of traditional sports talents in Indian villages, but bringing them
to national and international levels was posing a tough challenge due to very expensive sports equipments and other unaffordable facilities,” Richo said, adding that the association has to play a vital role in this direction.
However, the ICTSG president pitched in to suggest various steps to achieve the goal, besides assuring of all possible support.
