Vijay Goel to inaugurate Mega screens for CT 2017 semi-finals, final at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium

India, Pakistan, England and Bangladesh registered a place in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy 2017 out of the eight teams in the tournament. This is one of those rare occasions in a global cricket event that three sub-continental teams have qualified for the knockouts. Following India’s qualification, Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel said that Mega LED screens would be installed at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi. This arrangement will be for free public viewing of the Champions Trophy 2017 semi-final.

The first semi-final match is underway in Cardiff where hosts England are taking on Pakistan. While India lock horns with Bangladesh on June 15 at Birmingham. The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports decided to install the screens with an aim to utilise the free space in the stadium which can seat up to 20,000 people. To promote sports culture in the country, the Ministry also plans to hold mini-fests in the future for utilising stadiums.

The idea

“This is being done to utilise the free space in the stadium and also provide everyone a chance to watch the matches for free on the mega screen. The idea is to initiate sports culture among the public and optimum utilisation of the stadiums, in future we will have mini-fests too that would create a huge buzz for sporting events across India,” Goel was quoted as saying.

The Minister will lead the inauguration of the mega LED screens on Wednesday at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. The winners of the clashes between England v Pakistan and India v Bangladesh will meet in the finals of CT 2017 at The Oval on June 18. The initiative is expected to inculcate a stronger sense of sporting culture that India has usually associated itself with since long. Vijay Goel said that the idea will extend to other sporting events as well, in order to encourage youth involvement and participation in sports.