PM Modi links Asian Games success to new India, backs ambition to host 2036 Olympics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed India's Asian Games medallists, saying their medals represent a powerful image of a New India. He also praised women athletes for their contribution as India finished the continental event with 85 medals, including 21 gold.PM Narendra Modi addressed India's athletes who took part in the Asian Games 2026. (Image: PTI)New Delhi,Oct 15, 2026 18:13 ISTPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India's Asian Games medals were not merely numbers but represented a powerful image of a New India emerging in sports, as he hailed the country's athletes for making the nation proud and reiterated India's ambition to host the 2036 Olympics.Modi met India's Asian Games medallists, including the gold-winning men's and women's cricket teams, at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium. During the interaction, he congratulated the contingent for its achievements and said the athletes' success belonged to the entire country."These medals are not merely numbers. They represent a powerful image of a New India," Modi said."You have made 140 crore Indians proud. The biggest success is to make the tri-colour fly high. That's why your success is not just yours but it belongs to crores of our countrymen. I congratulate you on behalf of the entire country," he added. The Prime Minister also underlined India's growing ambitions as a host of international sporting events, saying the country was building its credentials to stage competitions on the biggest global platforms."India is emerging in establishing itself as a credible and hospitable country for international sports events. We are bidding for 2036 Olympics and it is our resolve that we will host the games," Modi asserted.WOMEN LEAD THE WAY India finished the Asian Games with 85 medals, including 21 gold. While the tally was lower than the 106 medals secured at the previous edition in Hangzhou, the performances of debutants offered encouragement, with athletes making their first appearance at the Games contributing 41 medals.Modi singled out the contribution of India's women athletes, who accounted for 38 medals, including 11 gold, and praised the country's performances across several disciplines."I especially want to congratulate our women athletes, they contributed 38 medals to our tally and 11 of those medals were gold," he said.The Prime Minister lauded India's cricket teams, the hockey sides and the archers, who won five gold medals. He also highlighted the women's hockey team's achievement in ending a 44-year wait for gold at the Asian Games."The women's hockey team ended a 44-year wait with its gold medal, it is highly appreciable," Modi said.BUILDING A SPORTS ECOSYSTEMModi credited India's sporting progress to sustained efforts to strengthen the country's sports ecosystem, emphasising that success at major international events was the outcome of years of preparation and commitment."Sankalp aur sapne ek din mein poore nahi hote (Dreams are not achieved in a day). It takes years of hard work and dedication. In the last 12 years, India has shown patience and worked hard to create a sports ecosystem," he said."There was a time when India would win few medals at big event. The country did not know so many sports. We resolved to end this pessimism and the result is our increasing representation on the global stage," Modi added, pointing to the importance of a transparent system in sports."A transparent system is in place for sports now," he said.ATHLETES PRESENT MEMENTOESThe interaction also saw athletes present Modi with several mementoes, including signed jerseys and a bow gifted by 17-year-old recurve archery star Kumkum Mohod. The young archer won two gold medals, in the individual and women's team events, and a silver in the mixed team competition.The Prime Minister posed for photographs with the medallists, who were accompanied by senior officials from their respective sporting bodies, including International Cricket Council chairman Jay Shah and Indian Olympic Association president P T Usha.Both Indian cricket teams were represented at the event. The men's T20 team, led by Shreyas Iyer, attended ahead of its match against the West Indies in Bengaluru on Saturday, while the women's team was present before its T20I against Zimbabwe in Raipur on Friday.Harmanpreet Kaur, who captained the women's team to Asian Games gold before stepping down from the role, presented Modi with a jersey signed by the medal-winning squad. Her successor, Smriti Mandhana, also posed for photographs with the Prime Minister.Golfer Pranavi Urs presented Modi with her glove and a golf ball mounted in a frame, adding to the collection of sporting mementoes presented during the interaction.The meeting served as an occasion to celebrate India's Asian Games campaign while reinforcing the government's ambition to expand the country's sporting footprint and bring major international events to Indian soil.- Ends