Sports Minister Anurag Thakur  inaugurates Khelo India Under 21 Women's Hockey League

Anurag Singh Thakur is the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports. He inaugurated the first-ever national-level Khelo India Women's Hockey League (Under 21) at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The hockey tournament is slated to be held from December 15 to 21. As many as 14 teams will be competing in 42 matches during the first phase of the tournament. Meanwhile, the second and third phase will be held in early 2022.

The Women's Hockey League will give away the winners a cash prize of ₹30 lakh -₹15 lakh from MYAS and ₹15 lakh from Hockey India.

Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Nishith Pramanik and the Indian Olympic Association President Narendra Batra were also present at the event.

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur congratulates SAI and Hockey India for Women's Hockey League

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur stressed the importance of conducting different leagues as it will be a major boost for Indian hockey.

Thakur congratulated and praised the joint efforts from the Sports Authority of India and Hockey India for organizing the first-ever national level Khelo India league.

He also asserted that in the coming years, several leagues in other sporting disciplines will also be conducted in the country.

"All our athletes train very hard through the year, but it is very important for athletes to also get enough competition exposure if they have to prepare themselves for bigger competitions in the future. Therefore having leagues of this kind, that give athletes competition exposure throughout the year, is crucial," said Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.

IOA President Narendra Batra hailed the idea of organizing the hockey league. He further affirmed that the league would do wonders in terms of its reach.

"I believe this is a big initiative. The support from SAI and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in the last 5-6 years have been immense and this positive attitude has helped in getting a very good result for hockey in the Olympics this year," said Batra.