Picture Credit: Twitter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the 36th National Games at a grand opening ceremony held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and the Chief Minister Gujarat, Bhupendra Rajnikant, also marked their presence in the glorious event. Prime Minister also took a round around the stadium with Gujarat CM by his side as he waved at tens of thousands of spectators who had come to attend the event on Thursday.
A host of prominent singers like Shankar Mahadevan, Mohit Chauhan, Bhumil Shah, Ishani Dabe enthralle d the spectators with their magical musical performances at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday. Cultural performances then continued enthralling the spectators on the grand gala night. These performances were followed by PM Narendra Modi’s arrival, as he declared the Games Open. He also inaugurated Gujarat’s Sports University.
While speaking during the ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Respect in the world has a direct connection with sports. Most of the countries that are on top in the world in development and economy today also top the medals table. The strong performance of the players in the field of play encourages other areas as well. Sports is also a source of ‘soft power’ in the world.”
The flag bearing ceremony was followed by a march from players participating in the multi-sporting event representing their respective states and union territories. While the National Games are officially set to begin on September 29, some events have already begun with star players are committed to participate for other competitions.
Around 7000 athletes from 28 states and eight union territories along with Services - sports team of the Indian Armed Forces are participating at the event. Overall, there are 36 sporting events in the National Games roster. Prominent athletes Neeraj Chopra, and ace shuttler PV Sindhu will not be participating in the National Games, but both were present during the opening ceremony of the National Games 2022 in Gujarat.