Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's remarks at the Inauguration of Olympic Bhavan

"I am delighted to associate myself with the inauguration of this Olympic Bhavan. I hope this Bhavan will provide a warm home for the hopes and aspirations of our sportspersons. India has been part of the Olympic movement for a long time. Our participation in the Olympic Games has been in consonance with our age old ethos of promoting friendship among people, understanding and peace through sports and the medium of games. The Olympic Games in fact do constitute one of the biggest peace movements in the world.

As a country of young people, India has great potential in the world of sports and games. We are yet to fully harness the talent of our youth in this vast field. Especially in the areas of games that figure at the Olympics. Our performances in hockey and other disciplines of sports and games have to improve substantially to enable our sports persons win more Olympic medals.

Suresh Kalmadi ji has referred certain financial issues. He has my assurance that our government will do all that is within our power to exploit the vast untapped potential that undoubtedly lies in this area. But it would not proper for me to comment on specific proposals having financial implications.

I do believe we need a new social compact involving all stakeholders to launch a nationwide movement of youth in sports. We have to also pay much greater attention to athletics and gymnastics, apart from popular games like cricket, football and hockey. I would like the Indian Olympic Association to work closely with the Government, at the Centre and in the States, and unleash a new wave of sports consciousness and sports development.

I am sure that given the right opportunity our youth will show impressive results. I suggest that we should seriously think of making sports and games a compulsory part of the educational syllabus in our schools and colleges. Countries that stand out in the world of sports are the ones that have in fact made them an integral part of their educational curricula.

By doing this we will not only promote the cause of the Olympic Movement in India, but also enable our youth to remain healthy and physically fit. The advancement of the Olympic Movement should be seen as advancement of the cause of healthy living. I am reminded of Swami Vivekananda's advice to a young man who wanted to understand the profound meaning of the Bhagwad Gita. Swamiji reportedly took a good look at him and his physique, and advised him to first go play football. Develop your body and mind, Swamiji told this young man, and then you will be better fit to study and understand the meaning of the Gita.

I hope the Olympic Bhavan will fulfill a long felt need for establishing an office here for the Olympic Movement. At the same time, I hope this Bhavan will be a source of inspiration, and will spur the movement's growth in India. I compliment Shri Suresh Kalmadi, who has played a very important role in setting up this Bhavan. I am confident that this Bhavan will make a substantial contribution to the organization of the Commonwealth Games. We have had the experience of hosting the Asian Games in 1982 under the dynamic leadership of late Prime Minister of India Smt. Indira Gandhi. What we could do in 1982 can be replicated in a much larger scale. It is unfortunate that Delhi has missed an opportunity this time, but I am sure there will be other opportunities in the future.

I am happy to greet all those associated with Olympic Bhavan and wish you all success in your noble endeavours".