“A SAI stadium will help find more talent,” says Vivek Podder; Kavita Devi says “Focus on Olympics”

After winning two Gold medals in the Nepal South Asian Games, Barak Valley’s Kavita Devi returned home today. She was given a warm welcome by the various organisations and the local residents. In the evening, Cachar District Fencing Association and Kreeda Bharati, Cachar organised a felicitation ceremony at Gandhi Bhavan in Silchar.

Cachar District Fencing Association, Kreeda Bharati, Cachar, Assam Manipuri Progressive front, BJP’s Kannad Purkayastha, Khelo India Khelo, MLA Silchar, Dilip Paul, and a few others felicitated the champion at the event.

Kreeda Bharati’s Vivek Podder congratulated Kavita Devi for her performance at the South Asian Games 2019 and said she is an inspiration for all of us. “She is proof of the fact that nothing is impossible. Despite being born in a village she managed to overcome all obstacles and won India a couple of Golds in the South Asian Games 2019,” Podder said.

He added that there are many more talents hidden in Barak Valley who have the potential to shine at the international stage. “It is my request to all the political leaders and the administration, please push for a Sports Authority of India stadium. I firmly believe that if we get an SAI Stadium here, the improved infrastructure will help us many more Kavita Devis in Barak Valley,” opined Podder.

It is worth mentioning here that the Sports Authority of India is the apex national sports body of India, established in 1984 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of Government of India for the development of sport in the country.

Podder went on to add that Kreeda Bharati would like to volunteer in talent hunt programmes if the government or administration takes the initiative.

Kavita Devi won the Gold in Fencing – Épée Individual category. Épée the heaviest sword used in Fencing, the other two disciplines in the combat sport are Foil and Sabre. In this sport, the fencer scores point each time he/she manages to bring to touch the opponent with the sword in hand. “I have been working hard to up my game and win medals for India,” said Kavita Devi while speaking with the media in the sidelines of the felicitation ceremony.

She added, “My goal is to win an Olympic medal and I have already started preparing for that.” Kavita Devi was asked about her struggle to which she replied that she always had to fight poor infrastructure. “In this game, the weapon breaks every now and then. It costs around Rs 35,000 to Rs 50,000 and so I had to ask favour from the association, officials and family members. The mask also changed and therefore I had to buy new ones. I hope we can improve our infrastructure so that the kids can grow up to become champions,” she concluded.