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Reliance Foundation Young Champs meet India PM Narendra Modi at RFYS launch

Reliance Foundation Young Champs meet India PM Narendra Modi at RFYS launch

The 41 youngsters currently part of the Reliance Foundation Young Champs programme had the privilege of meeting honourable Prime Minister of India Mr Narendra Modi on Saturday at the launch of the Reliance Foundation Youth Sport initiative (RFYS) in New Delhi where Mrs Nita Ambani and Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mr Vijay Goel were also present. The RF Youth Sports aims at revolutionising the face of grassroots sports in India. Its mission is “to create a unified structure of school and college competitions across sports and promote participation from young athletes”.

Beginning with football in 2016, the RFYS will offer schools, colleges and athletes across 50-plus cities a platform unlike anything before to showcase their skill, passion and talent for sports. The RFYS tournaments will provide top-notch facilities, conditions and a conducive environment for the student athletes to realise their potential. After assessing the talent on display, the most deserving athletes will be awarded scholarships and an opportunity to be scouted by teams. The coaches of the schools and colleges will also be afforded the best training programmes and the institutes will be given football equipment.

“Sports must be a part of everyone’s lives. We are a large and diverse nation. Sports can be a great means of national integration. In a country like India with so much diversity, sports can be a great source of unity amongst people! SPORTS stands for: S = Skill, P = Perseverance, O = Optimism, R = Resilience, T = Tenacity, S = Stamina. I wish you all the best and declare RF Youth Sports open. Come on India, let’s play,” said the honourable Prime Minister of India.

Mrs Ambani, founder and chairperson of Reliance Foundation, added: “Reliance Foundation Youth Sports aims to revolutionize school and college sports in India and provide a platform to student athletes to build a career in the sport of their choice. I believe that sports complement academics by imbibing values of team work, discipline and leadership amongst the youth. Through the RFYS initiative, we are committed to creating a sporting culture across the country by developing talent at the grassroots level and making sports an integral part of education.”

(Reliance Foundation Youth Sports / Indian Super League Press Release)