Goa to make strong push for sports tourism
Goa has successfully hosted several international sports events in recent times with Ironman 70.3 Goa and WTT Star Contender attracting the big names. The state is set to host the National Games later this year, and the infrastructure will be put to good use once the multi-sport event concludes.
“We have to create a sports environment in Goa. A lot of people come here for tourism. We have spiritual tourism and now is the time to have sports tourism as well. We will promote that. For Ironman, we had athletes from across the world. The World table tennis event was another hit, attracting players from 22 countries.
“Now we have infrastructure that is created for the National Games and the sports associations or national federations can use them throughout the year for their own events. We will provide support. We have to take sports forward,” Sawant told reporters on Wednesday.
The chief minister had a meeting with an Indian Olympic Association (IOA) delegation that included president PT Usha, joint secretary and acting CEO Kalyan Chaubey, besides Games Technical Conduct Committee (GTCC) chairman Amitabh Sharma.
Given the infrastructure that has come up in the state, the idea of promoting Goa as a tourism destination was also discussed during the meeting.