The Asian Games are over, and like every competition, they have left Indian sport with some happy memories and some questions. Athletes know this cycle well. You train, compete, win or lose, and then start again. Behind all this are many people whose support often goes unseen.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently completed 25 years in governance, and I believe his role in Indian sport is worth recalling. I have seen this support at different points in my career. As both chief minister of Gujarat and prime minister of India, he has taken an interest in athletes not only when we win, but also in the preparation and effort that come before a competition.
I first met Modiji when the Khokhara Sports Complex was opened. I was a child then, but I already wanted to become a sportsperson. I did not know then where that dream would take me. That meeting has stayed in my mind because it was one of my early memories of sport.
I met him again a few years later, just before the Tokyo Olympics. He remembered that I lived in Maninagar, which he had represented, and asked about the sports facilities there. I remember being quite surprised that he still remembered that. I was about to leave for the Olympics, and that conversation encouraged me a lot.
After Tokyo, he spoke to me again. The Games had not gone exactly as I had wanted, but he told me not to lose sight of the good things and to keep working for the country. Athletes need that kind of reminder. A bad result can stay in your head for days. Someone telling you to move on can help.
I was part of Khel Mahakumbh in Gujarat and saw it up close. Modiji had started pushing the programme because he wanted children to get into sport and wanted to find those who showed some promise. It gave them a chance to play in proper competitions, and parents also started taking their children’s sporting interest more seriously. Of course, most of them would not reach the international level. But unless a child gets that first opportunity, you will never know how far he or she can go.
That is why Khel Mahakumbh mattered beyond the events themselves. A child needs a ground, a competition and somebody who says, go and try. The programme also gave space to different sports, including chess and traditional games.
The same idea later appeared at the national level through Khelo India. Since 2018, more than 63,000 athletes have taken part in the Games, while more than 1,000 training centres have been established. These numbers matter because young athletes need places to train, coaches, equipment and regular competition. Some of those who came through Khelo India are now competing for India.
At the top level, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme has also helped. It has supported 233 athletes, including 52 para-athletes, with coaching, equipment, overseas training and competition exposure. This support can ease pressure on families. International sport costs money, and most families cannot manage every expense on their own.
The sports budget has also grown considerably during Modi’s time as Prime Minister. That money matters when it reaches athletes through better facilities, medical help, food, recovery and expert support. Khelo India centres and National Centres of Excellence have added to this work. Changes in sports policy and governance will matter too, especially as India looks at bigger international events and its Olympic ambitions.
Some memories are less about policy and more personal. At the Paris Olympics, the heat in the Games Village was difficult, and the lack of air conditioning was a problem. They arranged 40 portable air conditioners for us. When we met Modiji later, he remembered the issue and asked about it. For an athlete, that is noticed.
He also spoke to the men’s hockey team after their Tokyo bronze, and he called the women’s team after they narrowly missed a medal. They were disappointed, but he said the country valued what they had done.
Sport can be cruel. Years of work can come down to one shot, one mistake or a few points. Athletes also carry the expectations of families and supporters. After a loss, encouragement might make it easier to return to training.
His references to athletes on Mann Ki Baat and his recognition of women athletes and para-athletes have also helped sports that don’t always get enough coverage.
I have seen this journey up close. I was once a child at Khokhara, dreaming about sport. Later, I wore India’s colours at major competitions. Support has come at different points, and I value it.
India now wants to become a stronger sporting country and has set its sights on the 2036 Olympics. That will need work. But the basic thing remains: give athletes a fair chance, support them when things are difficult, and continue believing in them.
The writer is an athlete who has represented India globally
Elavenil Valarivan
Sport shooter
