36th National Games: Glimpses from the opening ceremony

A spectacular opening ceremony, highlighting the country’s desire to emerge as a soft power in sports and Gujarat’s superb organizational skills, marked the formal inauguration of the 36th National Games at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

The fireworks go off at Narendra Modi Stadium as the 36th National Games are launched in Ahmedabad. Photo - PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd during the ceremony. Photo - Vijay Soneji

Mirabai Chanu - The flagbearer for Manipur during the opening ceremony. Photo - V.V. Krishnan

Performances underway at the Narendra Modi Stadium during the opening ceremony. Photo - Vijay Soneji

(L to R) Anju Bobby George, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Mirabai Chanu, P.V. Sindhu, Narendra Modi, Neeraj Chopra, Gagan Narang, Dilip Tirkey pose at the main stage. Photo - PTI

The performances included Gujarati folk dance ‘garbha’ to the tunes of popular Hindi film songs. Photo - V.V. Krishnan

During the ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the Swarnim Gujarat Sports University to be established in Vadodara. Photo - AP

An Indian fan with a national flag before the start of the opening ceremony. Photo - Vijay Soneji

The event, a remarkable show of light and sound, was covered by 50 Doordarshan cameras. Photo - AP

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The fireworks go off at Narendra Modi Stadium as the 36th National Games are launched in Ahmedabad. Photo - PTI