We don't even participate in half of Olympic sports; need to improve: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India’s Olympic performance can improve by expanding its participation in sporting events where the country has traditionally had little or no presence.

Addressing hundreds of athletes, students and volunteers virtually during the Khelo India Dialogue, Modi said his vision for sports goes beyond winning medals and aims to make sports an integral part of nation-building.

"In the Olympics, there are so many different sports... Indian teams don't even participate in half of them," Modi said, calling it a "bitter truth".

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, India participated in 16 of the 32 sports which were part of the Games roster.

"...we don't even compete for a huge chunk of the medal tally. And this has been going on for decades. Other countries of the world win medals in those sports, and we don't even participate in them.

"To increase our medal tally, we will have to master these sports as well," he added.

In his Independence Day speech on August 15, Modi had announced a nationwide talent hunt for children in the age group of 5 to 15 to ensure that India's participation improves at the Olympics.

"On this 15th August, I have presented India's sports vision for the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort. When I talk about sports... it is not merely about winning medals.

"It is a campaign to integrate India's sporting power and youth power together in the construction of a developed India," he said. PTI