Srinagar :Faisal Ali Dar, a martial arts coach from Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir, is among 128 sportspersons who have won the prestigious Padma Shri Award for their achievement in sports.
Ali, who has set up a martial arts training Ali Sports Academy, has several awards in his kitty.
Feeling happy after being conferred the Padma Shri for his outstanding contribution to sports, Ali said: “I am thankful to the government for choosing me for this award after recognizing my hard work in the field.”
“I won the national award for the campaign against the drug addiction ‘Nasha Mukht’ when I counselled 47 children who had became addicted and (put) them in my sports academy,” Ali told UNI.
Started his journey in 2003, he said there was no support from the people initially as the culture of sports was entirely different from martial arts.
“I won the Asian Championship medal in 2010 but I was not satisfied with myself. I had a passion to do more for this sports.” He added: “I started Ali Sports Academy, and gradually I converted it into the training academy centre for children.”
He said he decided to train kids from the age of 2 to 7 years in Kung Fu. Eight of his students participated in the international level. Hundreds are taking part in national events.
Ali has 17 branches of his academy in Jammu and Kashmir where children not only learn martial arts but also sports like rugby, water sports, badminton and volleyball.
“I urge parents to put their children in sports activities for their best future besides education,” Ali said.
He said: “It takes at least 18 years for a child to become a sportsman of any category.”
Praising the new sports policy of the Jammu and Kashmir government, Ali said it will encourage sports persons to explore their talent in different fields.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has announced a Gazetted job for any sportsperson who wins any award in any sports field.
