Historic win of Thomas Cup is India’s best win in sports: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a phone conversation with the Indian badminton team, which won a historic Thomas Cup win, on Sunday, 15 May. The Prime Minister congratulated the team and said sports analysts would have to call it India’s best win in sports. He said that he was extremely happy that the team did not lose a single round. Prime Minister Modi asked the players at what level they felt they would win. Kidambi Srikanth told him that after the quarter-finals, the team’s resolve had become strong enough that we would play till the end.
He also told the Prime Minister that team spirit helped and every player gave his 100 percent. The Prime Minister said that the coaches also deserve praise. The Prime Minister told Lakshya Sen that he would now have to come and feed him ‘Bal Mithai’ of Almora. The Prime Minister also congratulated Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty for their victory. The Prime Minister spoke in Marathi with Chirag Shetty. Chirag told him that to be a world champion, that too from India, nothing can be better than this. The Prime Minister said, ‘Your team has done such a great job, your entire team deserves congratulations.
On his return to India, the Prime Minister invited him along with his coaches to his residence. He said that he wanted to talk to them and listen to their experiences. What would be your message to the budding athletes and young children participating in sports like badminton, table tennis or swimming, the Prime Minister asked the winning team? Srikkanth said on behalf of the team that in today’s time there is a lot of support for sports in India. Sports Authority of India, Government, Sports Federations and at the elite level – Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) is getting a lot of support for the sportspersons. If this continues, we think that India will have many more champions. This young shuttler belongs to Devbhoomi Uttarakhand.
The Prime Minister said that Lakshya is a third generation badminton player. Lakshya Sen told that his father was also present during the tournament. He reiterated Srikanth’s point of view and said that after the quarter-finals, the confidence of victory was further strengthened. HS Prannoy also said that winning the quarter-finals was very important. After winning it, it was clear that the Indian team can compete with any team. He said that it was only with the support of the team that a strong team like Malaysia could be defeated. The Prime Minister also congratulated Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty for their victory. The Prime Minister spoke in Marathi with Chirag Shetty. Chirag told him that to be a world champion, that too from India, nothing can be better than this. The Prime Minister said, ‘Your team has done such a great job, your entire team deserves to be congratulated.’ On his return to India, the Prime Minister invited him to his residence along with his coaches. He said that he wanted to talk to them and listen to their experiences. What would be your message to the budding athletes and young children participating in sports like badminton, table tennis or swimming, the Prime Minister asked the winning team? Srikkanth said on behalf of the team that in today’s time there is a lot of support for sports in India. Sports Authority of India, Government, Sports Federations and at the elite level – Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) is getting a lot of support for the sportspersons. If this continues, we think there will be many more champions in India.