Sports

HARYANA is one of the leading states in sports also. During the 33rd National games held in Assam in 2007, Haryana stood 4th in the nation with a medal tally of 80, including 30 Gold, 22 Silver and 28 Bronze medals. In sports team, HARYANA is the national champion in Women's hockey and Men's Volleyball. HARYANA is a traditional powerhouse in games like kho-kho, judo, kabbadi, boxing and wrestling. Sports in the state are managed by the Department of Sports & Youth Affairs, HARYANA . Nahar Singh Stadium for international cricket was built in Faridabad in the year 1981. This Stadium has the capacity to hold around 25,000 people as audience. The Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula is a multi-sport complex. It came into existence because of the Indian Cricket League's inaugural 20-20 tournament. The DLF golf course in Gurgaon offers challenging play for golfers of all skill levels and a natural beauty that envelops your senses. Astro-Turf Hockey grounds in Nehru Stadium, Shahbad, Gurgaon and Kurukshetra.

HARYANA has always been at the top in sports achievement in the past decade. From the Indian contingent of 81 athletes at the 2012 London Olympics, 18 hailed from HARYANA including all the top boxers and wrestlers. The state has a share of only about 2% of the national population.

Mary Kom and Vijay Kumar, the other four medal winners had some connection with one of the most economically developed regions in South Asia. In the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Haryana contributed no less than 22 of the 38 gold medals that India won (an astounding 60% share). The story didn't change much in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

And now, with the 2016 Rio Olympics on the horizon, Haryana is again one of the most talked-about places in the country.

Secret of Haryana's Success

There have been big and rare achievements in the state though people did not write about them much. Upcoming athletes are offered cash reward programmes and schools have made participation in at least one sports mandatory.

The efforts of the government have not gone to waste. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has played a major role in the upliftment of sports in the state. His successor Manohar Lal Khattar has enhanced the rewards for medal winners and participants.

After performances in major international tournaments like the Asian Games and World Championships, players have been showered with cash rewards of millions of rupees and luxury cars. The London Games medalists, Sushil Kumar, Saina Nehwal, Gagan Narang and Yogeshwer Dutt were all awarded a decent cash prize for their achievement. Such initiatives are bound to bear fruit in the years to come.

Famous Athletes of Haryana, Who qualified for Olympic Games.
• Sushil Kumar
• Yogeshwar Dutt
• Phogat sisters
• Vijender Singh
• Vikas Krishnan
• Pinki Jangra
• Seema Punia

Sakshi Malik and Babita Kumari from the women's wrestling team can spring a surprise any day. Not to forget Haryana's son Ravinder Khatri, who became the second Indian in more than 10 years to qualify for the Greco-Roman wrestling category at the Rio Olympics 2016.