India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been receiving praises from all corners for motivating the Indian cricketers throughout the just-concluded 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Forms sending best wishes, motivating them to congratulating the winners as well as others who couldn’t win a medal, PM Modi was in regular touch with the whole Indian contingent that went to Tokyo.
Later, the athletes also took to their social media to thank PM Modi for his immense support and for providing them with all the required facilities.
Meanwhile, legendary Indian skipper Kapil Dev has lauded the gestures of the Indian Prime Minister towards Indian athletes. Recently, in his column for The Statesman, Kapil Dev highlighted the fact that not just PM Modi interacted with the medal winners but also boosted the morale of those athletes who returned without a medal. He wrote:
“Often, people only care about a sportsperson’s success. When someone fails, they are forgotten. However, the most important thing in an athlete’s life is to know that there is someone who cares about their struggle, regardless of success or failure. From Modi ji’s actions, it is clear that his respect is for the effort that sportspersons put in, and not necessarily just medals. This shone warmly in his post-Olympics interactions with Olympians that recently played on television where he spent time with both the winners and the triers. PR Sreejesh made an important observation where he told the Prime Minister that most people call when the team wins, but the Prime Minister had called even when they lost and that meant a lot to them,”
He added:
“It is also not that Modi ji knew only about the personal side of the athletes. He had clearly followed the Olympics closely and understood the nuances of each sport. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to ask Bajrang Punia about his continuation despite injury, or to ask Ravi Dahiya about the bite he suffered and also enquire with Neeraj Chopra on how he knew he had won the moment he threw the javelin. For an athlete, it would be a moment to remember that the Prime Minister was following their matches so keenly.”
Upon the arrival of these athletes from Tokyo, PM Modi invited the entire Indian contingent as special guests during the Independence Day celebration at Red Fort. While he treated India’s golden boy Neeraj Chopra with his favorite dish – churma, on the other hand, he also fulfilled his promise of eating ice cream with India’s star shuttler PV Sindhu.
Kapil Dev concluded by saying that these gestures from PM Modi will only motivate the future of Indian athletes to give their best for the country. He said
“The images of the Modi ji treating Neeraj Chopra with churma and PV Sindhu with an ice cream may have gone viral. While those are warm moments, the real takeaway from these times is that the person who leads India’s democracy thinks sports and sporting culture matter. This, in itself, will give many young and budding sport stars greater hope about their future as athletes in India. They will know they will be respected and treasured,”
Meanwhile, Kapil Dev also took to his twitter and lauded PM Modi for supporting the Indian athletes. He wrote:
“Dear @narendramodi Ji,
Watched your interaction with Olympians and absolutely loved it. This will strike a chord with every sportsperson.
आज आपने पूरी Sports Fraternity का दिल जीत लिया है। जय हिंद!
Here’s something I penned.”
Here, check out the Tweet:
Dear @narendramodi Ji,
Watched your interaction with Olympians and absolutely loved it. This will strike a chord with every sportsperson.
आज आपने पूरी Sports Fraternity का दिल जीत लिया है। जय हिंद!
Here’s something I penned. https://t.co/jhlDTnkz7c https://t.co/UmvV2skacG
— Kapil Dev (@therealkapildev) August 18, 2021
PM Modi was quick to notice the tweet and come up with a heart-winning reply to it. He wrote:
“Thank you @therealkapildev Ji for the kind words.
You have been a constant source of inspiration for all sports lovers.
All of us have to work together and ensure Indian sports reaches new heights in the times to come.”
Here, check out the Tweet:
Thank you @therealkapildev Ji for the kind words.
You have been a constant source of inspiration for all sports lovers.
All of us have to work together and ensure Indian sports reaches new heights in the times to come. https://t.co/gb1aifZBW0
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2021
