PM Modi urges youth to expand Olympic participation

A sports enthusiast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, urged the youth to take up games, quipping, “Screens se zyada, Sports centres ki ahmiyat hai. Play station se zyada, Playgrounds ki ahmiyat hai (Sports centres are more essential than screens and playgrounds are more essential than play stations.”

He also said his vision for sports is not merely about winning medals but making it an integral part of the nation-building process. PM Modi rued India’s lack of participation in “half of the competitions on the Olympic Games roster”, saying the country’s medal tally can improve only if previously unrepresented events like surfing and sport climbing find contenders. The Prime Minister’s remarks came days after he said receiving national sportspersons at his official residence here has been a regular and cherished tradition throughout his 12 to 13-year tenure.

Addressing hundreds of athletes, students and volunteers virtually on Thursday who gathered at various locations for the Khelo India Dialogue ahead of National Sports Day on Saturday, the Prime Minister said, “In the Olympics, there are so many different sports... Indian teams don’t even participate in half of them, which means that we are not competing for a major chunk of the medal tally.” He called it a “bitter truth”.

“And this has been going on for decades. In 2012, we competed in only 13 sports. We were not even there in over 20 events and not many in the country even knew about some of these competitions. “Other countries win medals in those sports, and we don’t even participate. To increase our medals, we have to improve in these sports,” he pointed out. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, India participated in 16 of the 32 sports which were on the Games roster.

However, no Indian has ever competed in the surfing and sport climbing competitions of the Olympic Games. Both these events are part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics schedule.

“For example surfing and sport climbing...We have such a vast coastline, we have such a vast hilly region where there could be a natural affinity for sports like these. from water sports to winter sports, we have the required demography as well as geography,” he asserted. “Despite this, we are not seen in these sports anywhere in the world. That’s why we have to find opportunities of growing these sports in different regions. To increase our medal tally, we will have to master these sports as well,” he added. In his Independence Day speech on August 15, Modi had announced a nationwide talent hunt for children in the age group of 5 to 15 to ensure that India’s participation improves at the Olympics.

“On 15th August, I presented India’s sports vision from the ramparts of the Red Fort. When I talk about sports... it is not merely about winning medals. “It is a campaign to integrate India’s sporting power and youth power together in the construction of a developed India,” he said. Describing sport as essential to building character in youngsters, Modi said it also has a massive role in ensuring that the youth stays away from the menace of drug abuse which has become a major challenge for the country. “Sports doesn’t just teach us to become champions, it also teaches us to become better competitors. Rising, falling, and then rising again... Sports brings this spirit within us,” he said.

The Prime Minister also paid tributes to hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand, whose birth anniversary is celebrated as the National Sports Day on August 29.

“In another two days, on August 29, there is National Sports Day...This day is also to remember Major Dhyan Chand. A 100 years ago, an Indian hockey team went on a tour of New Zealand, and in that team, Dhyan Chand was there...That tour is the foundation of the centenary celebration of India-New Zealand sporting ties,” he said. “Few days back when I went to New Zealand, I had remembered him.”

Drawing inspiration from Para-athletes, Modi said they are the prime example of how sport can change lives of not just individuals but also their families, their immediate surroundings and even their cities.