Patiala, Aug 27 — The 2026 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Arundhati Chaudhary on Thursday attended the 'Khelo India Dialogue', a virtual address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chaudhary reacted to Modi's address to the youth as she highlighted that the PM is standing with the athletes at all times, be it a win or a loss.
"Through this event, the youth would have got a glimpse that PM Modi always stands with the youth, whether they win or lose. Whenever we return from a competition, the PM interacts with us. He discusses our wins and losses. If we lose, he motivates us not to bog down and keep working hard," she said after attending the virtual briefing.
Students of Punjabi University also shared their experiences at the event. B.Tech student Anshul Auluwalia said the 'Khelo India Dialogue' allowed him to learn about the changes taking place in sports and the government’s sports policies.
Meanwhile, university student and NSS volunteer Khushdeep Kaur said hearing about athletes' struggles, injuries, and experiences from their sporting careers was highly motivating for the students. She said the hard work and determination of athletes are an inspiration for young people.
B.Tech student Gauri said she had stopped playing sports some time ago, but after participating in the 'Khelo India' program, she once again felt motivated to return to sports. She said that students should participate in sports alongside their studies.
During his address, the Prime Minister called for India to broaden its participation across Olympic disciplines, saying the country must develop athletes in sports where it has traditionally had little or no representation, as part of preparations for the 2036 Olympics.
Addressing the youngsters, Modi said a nationwide talent hunt targeting children aged 5 to 15 would be crucial for identifying athletes early and training them in sports suited to their abilities.
"This time, from the Red Fort, I drew the country's attention to a major challenge in sports. This challenge is related to the Olympics. The bitter truth is that India's teams don't participate in half of the sports that are a part of the Olympics," he said.
PM Modi said India's limited participation had remained a longstanding concern and directly affected the country's prospects in the overall medal standings. "That is, we do not compete for a very large part of the medal tally. And this has been the situation for a long time now. In the 2012 Olympics, India participated in only 13 sports. In more than 20 sports, India did not participate."
The Prime Minister cited disciplines such as surfing and sports climbing as areas where India could build a stronger presence, given the country's diverse geography.
"There are so many sports whose names people in the country have probably heard of. Other countries win medals in those sports. And we do not participate in those sports. We have to acquire the skills in these sports to increase the medal tally in these sports as well. For example, surfing and sports climbing," he added.