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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday reiterated India's ambition to host the 2036 Olympics and announced a nationwide talent hunt to identify sporting talent among children aged five to 15 years, while addressing the nation on the occasion of the 80th Independence Day.
Addressing the nation from the iconic Red Fort on Saturday, PM Modi said India's performance in sports has been improving, and the country is moving forward as a strong contender to bid for the 2036 Olympics. Highlighting the scope of the Olympic Games, the Prime Minister said there are around 40 sports and nearly 325-350 events, but India does not participate or qualify in nearly two-thirds of them. "In 2030, India is also going to host the Commonwealth Games," PM Modi said. "We have decided that the Olympics 2036 should be held in India. In the disciplines in which India does not play or qualify, India will focus on these disciplines, and we will launch a talent hunt campaign," he added. PM Modi said India needs to identify and nurture young talent in preparation for the 2036 Olympics, particularly children who are currently five, 10 or 15 years old. "We have to pay attention to our sons and daughters. Therefore, a talent hunt campaign will be conducted in every village, every city and every school to identify sporting talent among children aged five to 15," he said. The Prime Minister said the identified talent would be provided specialised training to prepare them to represent the country at the highest level. "Their talent will be identified and, after providing them specialised training, they will be prepared to become good players representing the country," PM Modi said. Recently, India ended the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow campaign with 39 medals, including 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze, to finish fourth in the overall standings. Despite a reduced programme that did not feature traditional medal-winning disciplines such as wrestling, badminton, table tennis, hockey and shooting, India produced strong performances in boxing, judo, weightlifting and para sports. The country's women's gold medallists included boxers Jaismine Lamboria, Preeti Pawar, Priya Ghanghas, Sakshi Chaudhary and Arundhati Choudhary, along with weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, judoka Asmita Dey and para-athlete Sharmila Dhankar. In boxing, India's 10-medal haul became the best-ever performance at the Commonwealth Games, surpassing the previous record of six gold medals jointly held by England (1934 and 2018) and Canada (1986). The Indian contingent is now preparing for the Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Japan's Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya from September 19 to October 4. (ANI)
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