Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti today said that sports promote camaraderie and friendship and prepare youth to face future challenges. She said sports should not be seen as recreational activity only but as a subject like Education and Science to discipline and tone up one’s personality.Addressing the closing ceremony of 65th All India Police Hockey Tournament here this evening, the Chief Minister said sports minimize the gaps of region, religion and community among players and promote a culture of mutual trust, team spirit and camaraderie. Minister for Forests, Choudhary Lal Singh; legislators, Anjum Fazili and Dina Nath Bagat, Chief Secretary, B R Sharma and senior officers were present on the occasion.Mehbooba Mufti said youth of the State are bestowed with immense qualities but they don’t have enough opportunities to display these qualities. She said sports are one such discipline which lets the youth display not only their playing spirit but also their managerial, strategic and analytical skills.
The Chief Minister hoped the participant players from outside teams would have seen the situation in the State for themselves and they might have found it quite different to what has been portrayed on television screens. She asked them to act as peace ambassadors and tell their families and friends back home what they witnessed during their stay here.On the occasion, the Chief Minister released a souvenir of the tournament.Earlier, in his welcome address, Director General of Police, K. Rajendra Kumar said it was a moment of pride for J&K Police to host such a prestigious event. He said 27 teams representing CRPF, BSF, CISF, SSB and police teams of various States participated in the tournament in which 41 matches were played, including 31 league matches.In today’s final match CRPF defeated Punjab Police by 4-0.