VINOD BHAT
NEW DELHI, Mar 2: In a major boost to women’s sports in the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, four centres — Kargil, Rajouri, Srinagar and Udhampur — will host athletics competitions on March 8 as part of a massive nationwide ASMITA League to mark International Women’s Day. The announcement was made on Monday by Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Raksha Nikhil Khadse, who described the initiative as a historic opportunity to integrate young women across the country through sport.
The athletics events in J&K and Ladakh will form part of a simultaneous, countrywide celebration at 250 locations under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ ASMITA (Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women Through Action) programme. Competitions will focus on sprint events — 100m, 200m and 400m — across three age categories: Under-13, 13–18 years and 18+.
Addressing a media conference at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi, Shrimati Khadse said there could not be a better occasion than International Women’s Day to galvanize participation among young women nationwide. She noted that the ASMITA platform has already gained popularity across the length and breadth of the country and provides a powerful mechanism to encourage girls, particularly those in villages and small towns, to pursue sports as a serious career path.
“The objective is to encourage more and more girls in villages and small towns to take up sports as a career as envisioned by our Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” she said, underlining that the initiative aligns with the broader national vision of women-led development.
The March 8 league is expected to witness record participation, with nearly 2.5 lakh women projected to compete across the 250 venues on a single day. Each centre will have a structured team comprising technical officials, volunteers, a competition manager, a Past Champion Athlete and the District Youth Officer to ensure professional conduct of events. Importantly, women technical officials will also play a central role, reinforcing gender inclusion not only among athletes but in sports administration and officiating as well.
Launched in 2021 under the Khelo India initiative, ASMITA forms part of a gender-neutral mission to promote sports among women through structured leagues and competitions. The programme is supported by the Sports Authority of India, which collaborates with National Sports Federations to conduct Khelo India women’s leagues across zonal and national levels. Over the past few years, the ASMITA initiative has expanded rapidly, with more than 2,600 leagues organized across 34 disciplines in over 550 districts and 700 cities, enabling participation of more than three lakh women. The programme has also reached remote and previously underserved regions, including Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, as well as areas once affected by Naxalism.
Beyond competition, the Women’s Day initiative will emphasize capacity building. Each athletics event will be accompanied by developmental workshops, orientation in Athletics Federation of India-aligned officiating norms, and training in digital data management and competition documentation. These measures are aimed at strengthening the sporting ecosystem at the district level and ensuring that trained human resources are available across the country.
Shrimati Khadse linked the initiative to India’s long-term sporting ambitions, noting that as the country prepares for the Commonwealth Games 2030 and pursues its aspiration to host the 2036 Summer Olympics, groundwork must begin at the grassroots. “Hosting an Olympic Games requires more than infrastructure. It requires trained human resources in every district of India. It requires certified technical officials and administrative excellence. This International Women’s Day initiative is part of that preparation,” she said.
The nationwide ASMITA League will be implemented in collaboration with MY Bharat, Khelo India Centres, the SAI ecosystem and National Centres of Excellence, along with State and District Sports Associations and District Youth Officers. For young girls in Kargil, Rajouri, Srinagar and Udhampur, March 8 promises not just a celebration of women’s achievements, but a platform to sprint toward new sporting milestones and national recognition.
