'Corruption, Nepotism Hampered Performances Of Sportspersons In Past': PM Modi Declares National Games Open

National Games open: On this occasion of the inauguration, PM Modi also addressed all the athletes from across the country.

PM Modi Inaugurates 36th National Games In Ahmedabad

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the 36th National Games at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world's largest stadium located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He said, "Sportspersons could not perform well in past because of nepotism, corruption, we cleaned system on coming to power."

Sports is a great unifier. Inaugurating the National Games being held in Gujarat. https://t.co/q9shNsjA3A

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 29, 2022

"In 2014, the series of 'first & best' started in the country. Our youth carried that forward even in sports. 8 yrs back, Indian athletes participated in less than 100 int'l events. Now, they participate in over 300 international events," added PM.

On this occasion of the inauguration, PM Modi also addressed all the athletes from across the country. Olympians PV Sindhu, Neeraj Chopra and Ravi Kumar Dahiya also took part in the event.

Olympians PV Sindhu, Neeraj Chopra and Ravi Kumar Dahiya also present at the opening ceremony of the 36th National Games at Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad

PM Narendra Modi, Governor Acharya Devvrat, CM Bhupendra Patel, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur present at the event pic.twitter.com/JsE32NVtS3

— ANI (@ANI) September 29, 2022

This is the first time in the history of Gujarat that it will host a National Games. Running from 29 September to 12 October, the Games will be held in 6 cities of Gujarat namely Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar.

Nearly 15,000 sportspersons, coaches, and officials from across the country will be participating in 36 sports disciplines, making it the biggest National Games ever. The sporting events will be organised in six cities of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar.

Under the leadership of the former Gujarat Chief Minister, the state "embarked on the journey to create a robust sports infrastructure of international standards, which helped the state to prepare for the games in a very short span of time", PMO mentioned.

More details awaited. Please refresh the page for updates