Youve filled the entire nation with immense pride: PM Modi lauds Indian athletes for their Asian Para Games performances

PM Modi, along with Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse, met and interacted with the para athletes at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi.

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi praised the para-athletes for their outstanding performance, saying India was emerging as a major force in world sports. Highlighting the country's progress from 14 medals, including one gold, in 2010 to a record 114 medals this time, he credited the athletes' dedication and the strengthened sports ecosystem for the achievement.

"I was eagerly waiting to meet you all. A few weeks ago, I met the Asian Games athletes. Today, I got the opportunity to meet the energetic athletes who took part in Asian Para Games. Your outstanding performance shows that India is emerging as a big power in the world of sports," he said.

There was a time when India's participation in most international games was considered a mere formality. In para sports, our country lagged far behind. In the 2010 Asian Para Games, India won only 1 gold medal and just 14 medals in total. This time, however, our athletes have won an incredible 114 medals. This journey from 14 to 114 medals is the direct result of your hard work, your unyielding dedication, and the robust ecosystem developed to support your success. With 30 gold, 35 silver, and 49 bronze medals, along with 5 new world records and 9 Asian records, you have filled the entire nation with immense pride, he added.

In 4 events, all three spots on the podium had our flag, our athletes. India won gold, and in the same sport, India won silver and bronze too, and on the last day of the competition, you really pulled off a miracle... winning 9 gold medals, PM Modi said.

PM Modi praised the contingent's medal-winning performance, highlighting that 34 of India's 56 female athletes won medals. He also recalled javelin thrower Rinku's emotional tribute to his mother, who passed away two months before the Games, after he dedicated his gold medal to her.

It felt like you had decided that as long as the games were on, the medals shouldn't stop coming. This time, 30 gold, 35 silver, 49 bronze, 5 new world records, 9 Asian records. You have filled the entire country with pride. This time, out of 56 female athletes, 34 daughters have become medal winners, he said.

Rinku Ji lost his mother just two months before the Asian Para Games. Even amidst such profound grief, he held onto his courage, and when he won the gold medal, he lifted his mother's photograph and dedicated that medal to her. That moment moved every citizen of the country to tears, he added.

PM Modi said India's sports ecosystem faced challenges such as inadequate resources, lack of support and transparency, which discouraged parents from sending their children into sports. He added that, like the athletes, the country remained focused on overcoming these challenges and achieving its goals.

After 2014, when the country embarked on its journey towards big goals, the situation was completely different. Most parents were afraid to send their children into sports, and they themselves were scared too. The disarray of the system, lack of resources, absence of support, lack of transparencypeople would say that nothing could be done about this system. It would just continue like this. But just as you never gave up in the face of any difficulty, the country, too, kept its eyes only on its goal, he said.

India surpassed its previous edition's medal tally of 108, comprising 27 gold, 32 silver and 49 bronze medals. The country had initially won 111 medals at the last edition, but three were subsequently stripped following doping charges against Neeraj Yadav and Parveen.

India's performance at Aichi-Nagoya exceeded expectations, particularly as the contingent was significantly smaller than the one that competed in the previous edition. A total of 168 para-athletes represented India at the 2026 Games, compared to 309 athletes at Hangzhou. (ANI)