Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday interacted with India's Asian Para Games contingent here and said the country is making efforts to host the 2036 Olympics and 2030 Youth Games in the country.
Interacting with the para-athletes at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium here, the Prime Minister said the approach of the government is "athlete-centric".
He said India is growing in terms of its sporting culture and also as a "sporting society".
The Prime Minister said there is another reason that India has gained the self-confidence to move forward. "We are trying to host the 2030 Youth Olympics and 2036 Olympics," PM Modi said.
He lauded the performance of India's Asian Para Games contingent at the Asian Para Games 2022 and motivated them for future competitions.
The programme was attended by the athletes, their coaches, officials from the Paralympic Committee of India and the Indian Olympic Association, representatives from National Sports Federations and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.
"I keep finding opportunities to meet you...I have come between you people for only one thing and that is to congratulate you. You were outside India, playing in China [...] Every second, I was living your efforts and confidence sitting here. The way you all have made the country proud is absolutely unprecedented. Your performance has left the entire nation thrilled," PM Modi said.
"Those of you who have been selected for the games, some won, some learned but no one lost...In sports, only two things happen, either you win or you learn. You never lose," he added.
India ended their Para Asian Games campaign at Hangzhou in China with a total of 111 medals, consisting of 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze. India finished fifth in the medal tally.
(ANI)