Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM Felicitates Commonwealth Games Medal Winners

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, felicitated the Commonwealth Games medal winners of the Indian team.

Following is the text of the Prime Minister's address on the occasion:

"It is a matter of great pride for all of us that our team at the Melbourne Commonwealth Olympics have given such a good account of themselves. On behalf of the entire Indian people, I congratulate each one of the winners in this adventure. Sports has taken off. The fact that at the Commonwealth Games we were fourth when it comes to counting the medal race, that in as many as seven disciplines out of ten, we have won medals. That's encouraging and I hope that when the Games shift to Delhi in the home territory, our team will give a still better account of itself. In our country, sports have not received the attention that it deserves. I think we have a vast latent talent pool. We must find effective ways and means to exploit and enlist the willing cooperation of that vast talent pool that lies untapped. That sport facilities need to be multiplied all over the country, that our young men and young women must have adequate incentives to participate in the sporting events, that there should be adequate incentives for those who participate in these events abroad. I will not go into the various issues that have been raised by Shri Kalmadi, but I do hope and trust that our system will find effective ways and means to reward adequately all those who win these laurels for our country.

From Melbourne to Delhi, I pray and hope and I am confident that our tally will go up still further and we should have the ambitions when the Olympics meet here to be among the first few leading nations in the world of sports. After the Commonwealth Games, we hope the Asian Games will take place here and we will also bid for, hopefully for the Olympics. So, I foresee a very bright era for sports in our country and our Government will do all that it can to ensure that the vast latent sporting talent in our country does get a chance to give as good an account of itself as is implicit in our vast untapped potential.

With these words, I once again congratulate all those who have been associated with the organisation of Commonwealth Games at Melbourne - the organisers, the coaches and the athletes and the sportsmen and sportswomen - who were part of this great saga of adventure and enterprise."