The Chess Olympiad champions were felicitated by the Union Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya and Raksha Khadse, the Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, on Thursday.
The Open and women’s champions, who were crowned in Budapest, were delighted with the felicitation, a day after meeting the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Sports Minister, happy about Indian players asserting the country’s legacy in chess, emphasised that India’s strength lay not only in manpower but brainpower as well.
“The government is committed to create an ecosystem that encourages and nurtures talent across all sports disciplines. We want our athletes to feel motivated to showcase their talent on the world stage and bring laurels to the nation,” he said.
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The Sports Minister emphasised that as India marched towards becoming a developed nation, the sporting achievements would play a crucial part in its global identity. He asked the gold medallists to share their journey of hard work, resilience and dedication with the youth of the nation to inspire them.
“You are youth icons and youth ambassadors. It is your responsibility to motivate the next generation to adopt the spirit of Nation first,” he said.
Apart from the team gold medals, four Indian players, D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal also won gold on their board. The chess champions reiterated their resolve to continue on their path of excellence to make the nation proud in future.
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