Modi wins hearts of Asian Games medallists at breakfast meeting; hockey star Gurbaj Singh says PM assures them of proving more facilities
This was the day that every Indian sportsperson looked forward to. But, when it actually became a reality, most of them were amazed that "it was more like meeting a friend than a politician".
Indian athletes surely have won 57 medals at the recent Incheon Asian Games, but it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who won hearts of all the medallists and officials with his casual conversation and respectful attention.
"I promise to bring back the golden days of Indian sports," these words from Modi delighted every athlete and official present at the breakfast table on Tuesday.
Modi hosted the medallists at his official residence, where he felicitated the medal winners and some coaches. Those in attendance included shooter Jitu Rai, boxer MC Mary Kom, the men's hockey team, squash stars Joshana Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal, tennis star Sania Mirza and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt among others.
"The Prime Minister told us that all our needs will be taken care of leading up to the 2016 Rio Olympics. He promised to bring back the golden days of Indian sports and build more facilities in the country. He is an affable leader and a powerful orator. All the athletes listened to him with rapt attention," Indian hockey star Gurbaj Singh told dna after the meeting.
This was not all as Modi told every sportsperson to write directly to him on his website – www.mygov.nic.in – if the sports administrators fail to perform their duties.
"Modiji told us if we have any issue related to our training, foreign exposure trips, equipment and diet, we should approach the SAI and the Indian Olympic Association. If we don't get any reprieve from them, we can directly write to him on his website and he will respond to us within a week," added Gurbaj.
Modi addressed the athletes for 10 minutes and shook hands with each and every individual present at the breakfast meeting. "It was a fantastic experience for all the medal winners. It was as if we're meeting a 'friend' and not the PM," the Indian team defender said.
Boxing coach Gurbaksh Singh Sandhu, too, looked overwhelmed by Modi's gesture. "Mr Modi said he has instructed the concerned authorities to extend all possible help in order to develop infrastructure for the game and promote the sport at the grassroots level," said Sandhu.
Squash player Chinappa, who along with Pallikal won the team silver in Incheon, said: "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. It is not every day that you get to meet the Prime Minister. There was a lot of hype but he came across as a very simple person. I would say it was the highlight of my career, may be more than winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal."
Shooter Rai, who opened India's gold medal account in Incheon, also looked motivated after the meeting. "He told us that we will be offered all the help and our needs will be taken care of," said Rai, who will be leaving for World Cup Shooting championship.
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