 |
| Shushma Verma |
In recent times, the sportpersons from Himachal Pradesh have made an impact on the sports map of the nation. They are not only representing the national team, but some of them are clinching medals and awards for India. To encourage the raw talent of Himachal Pradesh, the State Government has come up with several sport schemes and facilities. Along with that, the State Government is also encouraging the State Sport Association to come up with plans to develop both sports and sportsperson in Himachal Pradesh.
List of Major Sports Played in Himachal Pradesh
Youth Services and Sports Department (Government of Himachal Pradesh) has divided different sports in categories on the basis of their popularity among the youth in three categories. Other factors include funding requirement and strength of the sport association.List of Major Sports Played in Himachal Pradesh
Category: A
Athletics, Boxing, Judo, Volleyball, Hockey, Shooting, Kabbadi, Winter Games (Ice Skating, Skiing), Football and Basketball are group in A category. These games are given special attention by the department and maximum scholarships are reserved for players from these sports.
Category: B
Wrestling, Gymnastics, Badminton, Archery, Softball, Taekwando, Cricket, Kho Kho, Table Tennis, Yoga and Baskball are gropued into B category. These games do not get any special attention, due to adequate facility by provided by their respective sports authority or existing national schemes.
Category C
Swimming, Koftball, Netball, Throwball, Roller Skating, Chess, Power Lifting, Squash, Billiards, Body Building, Weight Lifting, Golf, Karate, Fencing, Rowing, Bridge, Motor Sports, Carrom, Lawn Tennis, Women Cricket and Wushu are grouped in C Category. These sports get less attention from the department due to their lower popularity in the state.
Famous Players From Himachal Pradesh
Samresh Jung
Samresh Jung hails from Haripur Khol in Nahan. He has won two gold medals in shooting with his partner Jaspal Rana. He recieved Arjuna Award in 2002 and had honor to bear the Queen's Baton in its Opening Ceremony run in the stadium for the 2010 Commonwealth Games of Delhi.
Anuja Jung
Anuja Jung is a shooter who the gold medal in the Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions and the silver medal in Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions (Pairs) with Anjali Bhagwat at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Meena Kumari
Meena Kumari belongs from Bilaspur district. Along with Tejaswini Sawant, she has won a bronze medal in at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Suman Rawat
Suman Rawat is the first Himachali women player to win Arjuna Award. She belongs from Sunder Nagar (Mandi) and has won a bronze medal in 1986 Asian Games 3000 m race.
Vaishal Kaith
Vaishal Kaith is a footballer from Himachal Pradesh. He has represented Shillong Lajong and India U19 in past. Currently, he is part of the senior Indian football team and also plays Pune City in Indian Super League.
Ajay Thakur
Ajay Thakur is a Indian professional Kabaddi player who hails from Dabhota, Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh. He is current captain of India national kabaddi team and part of 2016 Kabaddi World Cup winning team.
Shushma Verma
Shushma Verma is the first female cricketer from Himachal Pradesh who went on to represent India. She is a part of Women's Wold Cup 2017 Runner Team.
In addition, Himachal Pradesh has a reputation for adventure sports. Some of the major adventure sports activities in Himachal Pradesh are Skiing, Para gliding and Skating.