GORAKHPUR, May 22 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said sports culture is flourishing in Uttar Pradesh, with water sports also gaining momentum. He further said hosting the 46th Junior National Rowing Championship at Ramgarh Tal here is a testament to the state's growing sporting ecosystem. Addressing the closing ceremony of the championship, Yogi said Uttar Pradesh holds immense potential for water sports due to the presence of major rivers such as the Ganga, Yamuna, Saryu, Gandak, and the Rapti. He added that cities, including Ballia, Kushinagar, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Kanpur, could be developed as water sports hubs. The CM said a strong sporting environment has been created across the country over the past 11 years. He noted that Uttar Pradesh is rapidly emerging as a hub of water sports and announced that rowing, canoeing and other aquatic competitions would continue to be organised in the state. "As India emerges as a strong rowing nation on the global stage, modern training methods, sports science, and performance analytics are becoming increasingly accessible through such competitions," he added. Highlighting the transformation of Ramgarh Tal, Adityanath said its revival symbolises the changing sports landscape of Uttar Pradesh. "Before 2017, Ramgarh Tal was associated with filth and criminal activities. Today, national rowing championships are being organised here and even training camps for the national women's team preparing for the Asian Games are being conducted at the venue," he said. The championship, organised by the Uttar Pradesh State Rowing Association, witnessed the participation of around 300 athletes from 20 states. Yogi said sports infrastructure was once largely absent in UP, but playgrounds are now being developed in villages, mini stadiums at the block level, and full-fledged stadiums at the district level. In the championship, Madhya Pradesh emerged as the overall champion in the girls' category, while the Army Boys' Sports Company secured the overall title in the boys' category. The CM presented trophies and prizes to the winners during the ceremony. Girish Chandra Yadav, UP minister of state (independent charge) for sports and youth welfare, said Uttar Pradesh is witnessing rapid development in sports infrastructure and athlete welfare. Adityanath also took a ride on the 'Lake Queen' cruise at Ramgarh Tal after attending the closing ceremony, officials said. The CM spent around 25 minutes cruising across the lake with public representatives....