Kung Fu and Tai Chi to Be Promoted in UP Schools: Governor Anandiben Patel

Lucknow, December 23: Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel on Monday announced that Kung Fu and Tai Chi martial arts will be promoted in schools across the state, underlining the growing importance of sports in holistic education.

The Governor made these remarks during an official interaction with an 11-member Indian Tai Chi team, comprising medal-winning athletes and officials, who recently achieved success at the World Tai Chi Championship held in Taiwan. The meeting was organised under the aegis of the Uttar Pradesh Kung Fu Association.

Providing details of the achievement, Gyan Prakash Tripathi, General Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Kung Fu Association, said that the World Tai Chi Championship was held in Taiwan from October 24 to 26, 2025. Indian players delivered an impressive performance, winning a total of seven medals—two gold, three silver and two bronze. Athletes from Uttar Pradesh contributed significantly to the tally, securing one gold, two silver and one bronze medal.

Governor Anandiben Patel congratulated the medal winners and praised them for bringing laurels to the country. She especially blessed gold medallist Nirbhay Raj, a student of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University, silver medallists Khushi Tripathi and Sanskriti, and bronze medallist Shruti Singh. She also extended her best wishes to Manju and Krishna Kumar, along with former international bronze medallist Abhay Raj, expressing confidence in their bright future.

During the interaction, the Governor emphasised the need to introduce martial arts like Kung Fu and Tai Chi in schools and universities, stating that sports are one of the most essential requirements of society in the present times. She agreed that such disciplines not only enhance physical fitness but also instil discipline, mental balance and confidence among students.

On the occasion, International Kung Fu Federation Grandmaster Gyan Prakash Tripathi, Indian team manager Dr Rajendra Kumar Gautam and team coordinator Dr Shishupal Singh presented the Governor with a book on Tai Chi written by Harvard University scholars, along with an oil painting of Bodhidharma, regarded as the founder of Kung Fu.

Former IAS officer and former Prasar Bharati Chairman Dr Navneet Sehgal also congratulated the Kung Fu and Tai Chi team for their remarkable international success and encouraged them to continue excelling on the global stage.

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