Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the gathering at the Gorakhpur Saansad Khel Mahakumbh via video conferencing on Thursday, congratulated all athletes taking part in the tournament. He said that victory and defeat are both integral part of sports. PM Modi said that imbibing a sportsman spirit will help open the doors of success in the times to come.
The 72-year-old also commented on the Khel Mahakumbh initiative and noted that not only athletes but even artists from different domains like painting, folk songs, folk dance and tabla-flute take part in this competition. "Be it the talent of sports or art-music, its spirit and its energy are all the same," the Prime Minister stated.
Saansad Khel Mahakumbh is the seed from which Olympic players will be created: PM Modi
PM Modi hoped that events like the Saansad Khel Mahakumbh can be the stepping stones to Olympic success in the future.
"Saansad Khel Mahakumbh is the seed from which Olympic players will be created," he said.
"Saansad Khel Mahakumbh is a strong foundation on which our glorious sporting future will be built," he added.
Furthermore, PM Modi said that there is a moral responsibility of taking forward our Indian traditions and folk art forms. He also recognised the effort of the Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur Ravi Kishan Shukla as an artist and congratulated him for organising the event.
It is pertinent to note that this was the third Saansad Khel Mahakumbh that the PM attended in the recent times. He emphasised the need to create new systems to make India a world sporting power. He outlined the importance of sporting competitions at the local level to better recognise and promote talent and also boost the morale of players in the remote corners of the region. He described the Saansad Khel Mahakumb as one such route.