We don’t even participate in half of Olympic sports; need to improve: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (August 27, 2026) mentioned India’s Olympic efficiency can enhance provided that the nation manages to extend its participation in these occasions the place it has not participated previously.

In a digital handle to a whole bunch of athletes, college students and volunteers who gathered at varied areas for the Khelo India Dialogue, the PM mentioned his imaginative and prescient for sports activities is just not merely about profitable medals however making it an integral a part of the nation-building course of.

“Within the Olympics, there are such a lot of completely different sports activities… Indian groups do not even take part in half of them,” Mr. Modi mentioned, calling it a “bitter reality”.

Within the 2024 Paris Olympics, India participated in 16 of the 32 sports activities which had been part of the Video games roster.

“…we do not even compete for an enormous chunk of the medal tally. And this has been occurring for many years. Different nations of the world win medals in these sports activities, and we do not even take part in them.

“To extend our medal tally, we should grasp these sports activities as effectively,” he added.

In his Independence Day speech on August 15, Mr. Modi had introduced a nationwide expertise hunt for kids within the age group of 5 to fifteen to make sure that India’s participation improves on the Olympics.

“On this fifteenth August, I’ve offered India’s sports activities imaginative and prescient for the nation from the ramparts of the Pink Fort. Once I discuss sports activities… it’s not merely about profitable medals.

“It’s a marketing campaign to combine India’s sporting energy and youth energy collectively within the building of a developed India,” he mentioned.