The Hindu : Aim for Olympic medals, says PM

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 23, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Aim for Olympic medals, says PM

By S. Nagesh Kumar

HYDERABAD DEC. 22. The curtains rung down on the 32nd National Games at a grand function here on Sunday with the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, saying it was time India started winning medals at the Olympics.

Impressed by the spectacular climax to the 10-day event for hosting which the State Government spent nearly Rs. 150 crores, the Prime Minister offered to give serious thought to the plea by A.P. Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, that India make a bid to host the 2012 Olympics. He said the Centre need not have any objection when Hyderabad was willing to host the Olympics.

Mr. Vajpayee, who flew in here from Ahmedabad for the concluding ceremony, expressed happiness that India was making slow but sure progress in sports. Indian sportsmen had done well in the recent Asian and Commonwealth Games.

Responding to another suggestion by the Chief Minister to exempt duty on import of sports equipment and waive Income Tax on sponsorships, the Prime Minister said that Mr. Naidu was spending so much on sports, the Centre would come up with matching responses.

He agreed that the inability of Indians to win many medals at Olympics in spite of its 100-crore population was an indicator that there were some shortcomings. "I hope that in the next Olympics at Athens, our sportsmen will bring us some good tidings.''

The Prime Minister emphasised the need for taking sports to the villages and encouraging tribals to participate. Apparently referring to the extravaganza at the concluding function, Mr. Vajpayee said if he were younger, he would have said `khel khatam, paisa hajam' (the game is over and so is the money).

The conclusion of the games was a crowning glory for the host State which bagged the overall trophy for winning the maximum number of 94 gold medals and 241 in all.

The Indian Olympics Association (IOA) president, Suresh Kalmadi, sought to put at rest the controversy over AP winning medals by importing sportsmen from outside. He said other States should give similar incentives instead of criticising A.P. which spent Rs. 6 crores, including Rs. 38 lakhs, on ace swimmer Richa Misra who was declared the best sportswoman.

Mr. Naidu handed over the IOA flag to Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister of Assam, which will host the 33rd national Games at Guwahati in 2005. The climax to the show came when the Prime Minister pressed the remote control button to extinguish the games flame.

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