Some sports federations are not allowing athletes to grow: Kiren Rijiju

New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS) Former sports minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said that there are a few federations in India that are not working properly and they need to be pulled up for the betterment of the sports.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave, Rijiju addressed the problems he faced while being the sports minister.

"In India, there are several sports federations. Some federations are managed very professionally. Some of the people who run the sports federations even spend their own hard-earned money to support their athletes and to create infrastructure and other facilities.

"But there are some federations, I won't name them, who are not allowing the athletes to grow. The way they are running the federations will not help the athletes and sports progress. The government was forced to intervene to help the athletes.

"So, I have two observations when it comes to sports federations, especially those federations that are not performing well... and they need to pull up their socks," the former Sports minister emphasised.

He further said that the government and federations need to protect the interest of the athletes "after all he/she will play for the nation".

"I never said it to the media or outside but I used to call them (federations) in person and scold them that they are doing wrong. And athletes should not suffer," he said.

The current Minister of Law and Justice, Rijiju also urged the people to start following Indian sports like mallakhamb, kho-kho, etc.

"This country did not have a sporting culture but I can say proudly that it is growing now, especially after the Tokyo Olympics. We also need to promote Indian sports like kho-kho, mallakhamb, etc. We should not just play foreign sports and play Indian sports also. To develop a sports culture let us drive a campaign where citizens can be involved," he added.