President Murmu heaps praise on Divya and Humpy, hails India's domination of chess: 'Brimming with a new confidence'

India’s global chess domination was lauded by President Droupadi Murmu in her address to the nation on Thursday, during which she also said that the country is on the cusp of “transformative changes” in the sporting arena.

Eighteen-year-old D Gukesh’s triumph as the youngest world champion last year began a season of excellent results for India’s chess prodigies with the likes of R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidith Gujarati, Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh and R Vaishali delivering consistently strong performances in high pressure international events.

Deshmukh (19) became the youngest women’s World Cup winner last month, beating Humpy in the final.

“Brimming with a new confidence, our youth are making a mark in sports and games. Chess, for example, is now dominated by India’s youngsters like never before. We foresee transformative changes which will establish India as a global sporting power-house under the vision contained in the National Sports Policy 2025,” the President said in her address.

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“Our daughters are our pride. They are breaching barriers in every field, including in the areas of defence and security. Sports are among important indicators of excellence, empowerment and potential. A nineteen-year-old girl (Deshmukh) and a thirty-eight-year-old woman (Humpy) from India were the finalists in the FIDE Women’s World Cup for chess championship,” she said.

“This underlines the sustained and globally comparable excellence across generations among our women. The gender gap in employment has also been reducing. With ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, the empowerment of women is no longer a slogan but a reality,” she added.

The National Sports Policy calls for accountability of administrators and establishment of processes to “ensure ethical practices, fair play and healthy competition in the sports sector.” It also professes the creation of national agencies and inter-ministerial committees to facilitate swift action and effective resolution of issues, promoting transparency and seamless operations across the sports ecosystem.

The policy proposes a revamped funding mechanism, including initiatives such as “Adopt an Athlete”, “Adopt a District”, “Adopt a Venue”, “One Corporate-One Sport”, and “One PSU-One State” wherever feasible.

After the policy’s unveiling on July 1, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also tabled the long-awaited National Sports Governance Bill in Parliament. The landmark legislation, which ensures a strict regulatory framework for National Sports Federations besides a speedy dispute resolution mechanism, has been passed by both houses of Parliament.

Mandaviya, who has described it as the single biggest sporting reform since independence, has vowed to ensure the implementation of its provisions within the next six months.