HIGHLIGHTS
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 36th National Games
- The National Games are being held after a long hiatus of 7 years
- Olympians PV Sindhu, Neeraj Chopra were also present at opening ceremony
New Delhi, September 30, 2022: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 36th National Games at a grand Opening Ceremony at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports Anurag Thakur and other dignitaries were also present during the opening ceremony.
The National Games are being held after a long hiatus of 7 years due to multiple predicaments that halted the running of the event since its previous installment in the year 2015 when Kerala played host to the competing athletes.
Watched and applauded by several current and past sports icons, including Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, Olympic medallists PV Sindhu, Ravi Dahiya, Mirabai Chanu, Gagan Narang, former national hockey captain and new HI chief Dilip Tirkey along with World Championship medallist Anju Bobby George, the Prime Minister placed the Torch on the podium for it to be lit by augmented reality.
“The country’s sportspersons were capable in the past too. This movement of winning medals (at international sporting events) could have started earlier too. But, instead of professionalism, there was nepotism and corruption in sports.
We have cleaned the system and pumped in new confidence among the youths,” said Modi in his address to a cheering crowd at the sprawling stadium according to the reports published in indiatoday.in.
He said when people around the world eagerly waited for popular and prestigious global sports events like the Olympics, such competitions were just the subject of general knowledge in India for many years.
“But now, the mood and temperament of the nation has changed. Our sportspersons have continued a tradition of being the first and the best which started in 2014,” said Modi.
“Your victory in sports will pave the way for the country’s success in other fields. The soft power of sports will significantly improve our country’s image,” the prime minister said in a message aimed at athletes.
The Prime Minister also advised the youth to focus on three Cs — competition, commitment and continuity — to achieve success in life.
Gujarat took the initiative in organizing the meeting and did a spectacular job of getting things in order in a quick fashion so the games could go on as planned without any further delay. Around 7000 athletes from 28 states and eight union territories along with the Services sports team of the Indian Armed Forces are participating. Overall, there are 36 sporting events in the National Games Roster.
