New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the badminton champions who won the Thomas Cup and the Uber Cup on Sunday. During his interaction with the athletes, he said that the ‘yes I can do it’ attitude has become the strength of the country. 


He said, “The 'Yes, we can do it' attitude is our new strength today. I assure you that the government will give all possible support to our players.”


He also wrote on his official Twitter handle, “Interacted with our badminton champions, who shared their experiences from the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup. The players talked about different aspects of their game, life beyond badminton and more. India is proud of their accomplishments.”






India penned down its name in history by winning the Thomas Cup for the first time on May 15 since its inception in 1949. 


Responding to a question by PM Modi on the challenges of being the captain, shuttler Kidambi Srikanth said, "Everyone was playing well, so my only aim was to bring all of us together as it was a team event and we had to play like a single unit. We used to have small discussions within ourselves about how to go about the game and I did not have to do much being a captain as everyone in the team had been doing good."


"It was a privilege for me to take Team India to the finals and I got to play the last decider game, which was really important. It was a big opportunity for me to represent India and I wanted to give my best," he added.


PM Modi congratulated the athletes on behalf of the country for bringing home the Thomas Cup after 73 years. 


PM Modi said, “Earlier, we never used to excel in Thomas Cup. The majority of the people of the country had no idea about such a big tournament taking place. Now, I would like to congratulate the entire team as after decades you have hoisted the Indian Cup at that level, and I am extremely proud.”


Interacting with the Prime Minister, 14-year-old shuttler Unnatti Hooda said, “What motivates me the most is that you never discriminate between medallists and non-medallists. I have learned a lot in this tournament. Next time, the women's team also has to win.”


PM Modi had also interacted with the team on May 15 on the telephone immediately after their victory.