National Games foster spirit of camaraderie and national unity among the participants - Vice President

VP praises remarkable growth of sports infrastructure in the country in recent years
Shri Dhankhar hopes ‘the day is not far when Bharat will host Olympics’
VP arrives in Gujarat on three-day tour; attends Closing Ceremony of 36th National Games in Surat

The Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today said that the sporting events act as a great national unifier with the athletes from across the states coming together and building lifelong relationships and a strong sense of camaraderie among them.
Addressing the Closing Ceremony of 36th National Games at Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya Indoor Stadium in Surat today, the Vice President congratulated the state government for the successful organisation of the mega sporting event which saw many new records being set in different streams over the last few weeks. “Athletes will carry fond memories and a new enthused spirit of nationalism from here,” he said.
Referring to the remarkable growth of sporting infrastructure in the country over the last few years, Shri Dhankhar expressed confidence that “the day is not far when Bharat will host the Olympics.” Praising the vision of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, he said that all efforts are being made to provide right opportunities and proper grooming to budding sporting talent in the country. The new sporting culture driven by merit and fair selection is a game changer, he added.  
In his address, Shri Dhankhar mentioned the heart-warming incident when the Prime Minister personally spoke to every member of Indian Woman’s Hockey Team after they narrowly missed a medal at Tokyo Olympics, and emphasised that “more than victory or defeat, it is the sportsmanship that matters.”
Mentioning that this was his first visit to Gujarat after taking over as the Vice President of India, Shri Dhankhar said that he was overwhelmed by the love and affection showered by the people of the state. Praising Gujarat’s contribution to national development, he said that “historic contributions have been made in pre-independent and post independent era by sons of Gujarat.”
The Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar & Dr Sudesh Dhankhar who arrived in Surat on a three-day tour were welcomed by Shri Acharya Devvrat, Governor of Gujarat along with the Ministers from the Government of Gujarat and others at the Surat airport. In the next two days they will visit the Statue of Unity and Sabarmati Ashram and also attend a number of events organised by the state government and community organisations.
More than 14, 500 sportspersons, coaches and officials from all States and Union Territories participated in this year’s National Games which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on September 29th, 2022.
Shri Om Birla, Speaker, Lok Sabha, Shri Acharya Devvrat, Governor of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Ministers and Parliamentarians from the state of Gujarat, participating sportspersons, officials and others attended the Closing Ceremony of the games.