PM Modi praises athletes for memorable 2023, urges them to gun for glory in Paris Olympics

NEW DELHI: As year 2023 winds to a close, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday recalled India's achievement in sports throughout 2023 and lavished praise on Indian athletes who participated in the Asian Games and Asian Para Games Hangzhou. Indian athletes brought home 111 medals at the ongoing Asian Para Games. The country's previous best was 72 medals in the 2018 event in Indonesia. Notably, India finished their Asian Games campaign at Hangzhou in China with a record haul of 107 medals - 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze.

Adressing the nation on the final episode of his programme 'Mann Ki Baat' for this year, Prime Minister Modi said 2023 was auspicious for sports in the country as the athletes, through their rousing and historic performances in the Hangzhou Games, has set the tone for more sporting achievements. PM Modi showered praise on India's sportspersons for their 'outstanding' efforts at the Asian Games and Asian Para Games.

"This year our athletes also performed marvellously in sports. Our players won 107 medals in the Asian Games and 111 medals in the Asian Para Games. The achievements of players in many other sports added to the glory of the country," Prime Minister Modi said during his 'Mann Ki Baat' address on Sunday. He stated that the whole nation was now encouraging athletes to compete in the highly-anticipated Paris Olympics in 2024.

"Paris Olympics will be held in 2024 and the whole country is encouraging our athletes to push for glory at the event," he added. Prime Minister Modi also appreciated the Indian men's cricket team for their runners-up finish in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at home, saying the team won the hearts of everyone with their performances.

"The Indian cricketers won everyone's heart with their performances in the (ODI) World Cup. The victory of our women's cricket team in the Under-19 T-20 World Cup was also very inspiring. The achievements of players in many other sports added to the glory of the country," he added. Team India had a dream run in the home World Cup, winning ten matches in a row before losing to Australia in the final. Despite the loss, Men in Blue ticked many checkboxes as they responded to pressure situations well for the better part of the tournament.

The Indian team also reached the final of the ICC World Test Championship, but lost to Australia by 209 runs in the final in London this year. Though India's wait for the ICC trophy continues, they did win their eighth Asia Cup title just before the World Cup, beating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets.