Special ‘Pune Sports Conclave’ held
Pune: The Maha Yuti-BJP Lok Sabha candidate, Murlidhar Mohol has spoken about a bright future for various sports in Pune. He said, “Athlete are the backbone of a country. A country, which has healthy and satisfied athletes, makes strides. This is my faith. The Khelo India forum made available by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to various categories of sport has proved a milestone for international competitions. In this backdrop, I will strive to make Pune a city of sports by providing advanced facilities for various sports. My priority will be to train international athletes from the city.”
Mohol was speaking on the future of the sports field in Pune at the Pune Sports Conclave organized by the Pune Sports Association and fitness-loving Puneites. He said, “I am aware that one has to take a lot of effort, to practise hard to make a career in sports. One faces many problems too. I have been addressing sports persons’ needs, issues consistently. I will continue to do that in the future also. I will see to it that no athlete faces any issues.”
Pune has given many athletes to the state and the country. They have made Puneites proud at the national and international levels. We will seek guidance from such sportspersons and take ahead the city’s sports culture.”
The conclave was organised by Chhatrapati Award winners Manoj Erande, Dr Deepak Mane, Shailesh Tilak, Vilas Kathure, and Dr PG Dhanve. Tilak appealed to sportspersons to support Mohol, who has always encouraged them. Responding to his appeal, Olympian Manoj Pingle announced support to Mohol on behalf of all athletes present.
State Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil also sent a message to the sportspersons. He stated in his message: ‘The government is firmly behind you. You should also strive hard to win medals in the Olympics. I am sure that you are preparing yourself for that. We will try our best to hold the Youth Olympics 2029 in Pune. We will support all sports under the leadership of Murli Anna.”
Rekha Bhide, Anjali Bhagwat, Shantaram Jadhav, Dr Deepak Mane also spoke. Arvind Patwardhan proposed a vote of thanks.
Noted players attend the meet
The conclave, which was held with fever and enthusiasm, saw participation by noted international players from 32 categories. They declared their support to Murlidhar Mohol. Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award winner Anjali Bhagwat, Olympian Manoj Pingle, Rekha Bhide, Arjun Award winners Shantaram Jadhav, Shakuntala Khatavkar, Gaurav Natekar, Sandeep Kirtane, Shrirang Inamdar, S Dravid, Dhyanchand Award winners Abhijit Kunte, Nitin Kirtane, Mr Universe 2011 winner Mahesh Hagawane, Lifetime Achievement Award winner Ramesh Vipat, Bharat Kesri Vijay Gawde, Maharashtra Kesri Vicky Bankar and 165 Chhatrapati Award winners were present.