Union Sports Minister felicitates 24 medalists of Asian Games in New Delhi

Digital Desk: Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur congratulated the returning athletes from the shooting, sailing, wushu, and tennis teams competing at the Asian Games 2022 at an event in New Delhi on Monday.

Anurag Singh Thakur addressed the crowd and congratulated to the competitors for their remarkable efforts in the Asian Games. He claimed that the nation was proud of their accomplishments. He also assured the athletes that the government is dedicated to giving them all the assistance they require to succeed in their chosen sport. "I send my best wishes to all the athletes, and when the Asian Games finals are held, I am confident that players from India will be there with a greater number of medals. All eyes will be on the upcoming Olympics in Paris. PM Modi consistently encouraged the athletes to give their 100 per cent in all the games,” he said.

He also discussed the value of federations and government initiatives like TOPS and Khelo India in assisting athletes. Federations have a significant role to play, he noted. To assist players and ensure their concentration remains on sports, TOPS was founded in 2014. The same assistance was also given via the Khelo India scheme. The shooting federation (NRAI) deserves congratulations for winning the most medals in the Asian Games in history. In shooting, we won 22 medals this time around compared to two in 2002.

 

"We invested a total of Rs 38 crore on the Paris round of shooting. Ahead of Asiad, a camp worth Rs 1.8 crore was also established for Wushu. With 7 days left until the games, I'm still certain that we'll win the most medals ever," the Minister added.

Athletes also expressed their gratitude to the government and their support teams for helping them achieve success at the Asian Games.

Senior representatives from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Sports Authority of India, as well as friends and relatives of the athletes, were present at the event on Monday.