Pune Jan. 11: 

Sports fans in Pune will not only get to watch the Khelo India Youth Games in Balewadi but can also spend some off time at the Khelo India Sports Carnival. 

A Fan Park spread across 10 acres offers multiple stalls, mini sports activities and a giant screen to watch sports and music, all making for an electric atmosphere at the Shiv Chhatrapati Complex. 

A certificate of appreciation along with a souvenir will be given away to every fan for participating in the mini sports events. 

Various schoolchildren, including those from Madhyamik Marathi School in Mhalunge and Krida Prabadhani, visited the Fan Park. 

Every day about 2,500 people are expected to visit the park. Table tennis, football, kabbadi, a 25m running track, archery, shooting, and tug of war are the sports on offer that have had visitors most involved. 

Adventure sport in the form of a climbing wall which is an Olympic sport for Tokyo 2020 is also available while indigenous games like pitthu garam, hopscotch and marbles have been laid out for visitors.

Minister for Youth affairs and Sports, Government of Maharashtra, Shri Vinod Tawade visited the park and tried his hand at several of the sports activities that are on offer. 

Shri Tawade also interacted with the children from Madhyamik Marathi and led small raid while playing kabbadi. 

Shri Tawade said "Khelo India is developing the grassroots and on the lines of the first sports university that is coming up in Aurangabad, we will have seven similar sports centres across Maharashtra for youth."

Entry to the fan park is free and will operate till January 20, the last day of the Games. It is situated behind the athletics stadium.

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DJM

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