Indian rifle shooter and Paralympics double gold medalist Avani Lekhara, IAS officer and para-badminton silver medalist Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, and boxer and Olympic bronze medalist Mary Kom interacted with the students as they appeared on the eighth edition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ programme on Monday. “Consistency matters a lot. If you study daily with complete focus, you will be able to retain it. There are breathing exercises that help you maintain your heart rate and keep you calm,” Avani Lekhara said as quoted by DD. Further, the Paris Paralympics silver medallist Suhas Yathiraj encouraged the children to work hard in whichever field they are interested in.

“You should first ask yourself if you can achieve the top 5 per cent of whichever field you choose. Second thing, do you have the passion to pursue it? And if your heart says yes to it, then your parents will also agree to it,” Suhas said.

In the end, former boxing champion MC Mary Kom said that one should be strong if he/she wants to take up the challenges.

“If you want to take up challenges, you must be strong enough…I became a champion after facing many challenges. If I can do it, then why can’t you?” Mary Kom said.

The ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ episode was broadcast across platforms, including on the Prime Minister and PMO’s X profile and the PM’s YouTube Channel.

Since 2018, PM Modi has been hosting this annual event to interact with students, teachers, and parents, offering guidance on staying stress-free during exams. The event is organized by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education.

The first three editions of PPC were held in New Delhi in a town hall interactive format. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fourth edition was held online in the form of a program telecast on Doordarshan and all major TV channels.

The fifth, sixth and seventh editions of PPC were again held in town-hall format at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi.

File image of a baseball player© AFP

The closing ceremony of the 38th National Games began here on Friday with home minister Amit Shah as its guest of honour asserting that the country is well on track to host a successful Olympics in 2036. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha declared the Games closed before handing over the flag to Conrad Sangma, chief minister of Meghalaya, the state that will host the next edition of the Games. “I can say it today that India has a very bright future in sports. We are ready to host the Olympics in 2036,” Shah said in his address referring to India’s bid to host the Olympics in 2036 that is still in early stages.

Along with Shah, sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya also joined the event to laud the athletes’ performances over the last two weeks.

To start with, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami welcomed Shah with a commemorative memento, a shawl and a bouquet of flowers.

“‘Dev Bhoomi’ has transformed into ‘Khel Bhoomi’ not just because of the National Games but also because of its athletes’ performance in the Games and Dhami ji’s relentless efforts towards hosting a successful Games,” Shah said at the Indira Gandhi International Sports Complex here.

“Thanks to their efforts, Uttarakhand has jumped from 21st position (in last Games) to seventh position (in the overall standings). I congratulate all the athletes who helped paved the way for ‘Dev Bhoomi’ to also become a ‘Khel Bhoomi’. My best wishes are with them.” Shah added, “I have observed that some of the records made by athletes during the Games here are comparable to those in international tournaments.

Besides Shah, Mandaviya and Dhami, several other dignitaries are in attendance here, including Mandaviya, next host Meghalaya’s CM Kongkal Sangma, Uttarakhand’s Sports Minister Rekha Arya, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha, boxing legend MC Mary Kom, and Olympic medallist shooter Gagan Narang, among others.

“Uttarakhand has conveyed to the country that it is not just Devbhoomi but also a Khelbhoomi. The state ensured that no athlete faced any difficulty during the Games. It is the beginning of India becoming a sports hub,” said Mandaviya in his address The venue has a capacity of 25,000 and was packed for the ceremony.

“It is the beginning of India coming inside the top 10 of Olympic performers by 2036. The country now has a sports ecosystem. It is moving forward in every aspect, including sports,” Mandaviya said.

Usha also conveyed a similar message in her address.

“The journey does not end here, it is only the beginning for Indian sports,” said Usha.

The ceremony will feature a ‘Games Recap’, highlighting the winning moments from start to the end of the sporting extravaganza that began seven venues on January 28 with state capital Dehradun being the main centre.

At the end of it, traditional powerhouse Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) topped the medal tally for the fifth time in the last six games, with a total haul of 121 medals (68 gold, 26 silver, 27 bronze).

Maharashtra won more medals than Services with 198 (54 gold, 71 silver, 73 bronze) but the lesser gold count meant that it ended at second spot.

Even Haryana got more medals than Services with 153 (48 gold, 47 silver, 58 bronze) but had to be content with a third-place finish.

Hosts Uttarakhand finished a creditable seventh with a total of 103 medals, including 24 gold, 35 silver and 44 bronze.

India is focusing not just on strengthening infrastructure capabilities, but also intellectual preparedness as it eyes hosting rights for the 2036 Olympic Games, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha said on Wednesday. The former track and field star noted India’s engagement with the quadrennial international games goes beyond competitive sports to embrace its true spirit of promoting peace and cultural exchange. She was addressing the 1st International Olympic Research Conference at Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) near Dehgam in Gandhinagar district.

The four-day conference has been organised by the Bharat Centre for Olympic Research and Education (B-CORE) of the RRU, an institution of national importance under the Union home ministry.

In her address, Usha said thanks to the conference, representatives of various Olympic studies and research centres from across the world as well as experts from diverse fields have converged in India.

“India’s engagement with the Olympic movement is at a transformative moment, one that goes beyond competitive sports to embrace the true spirit of Olympisim — that is promoting peace, education and cultural exchange through sports,” she insisted.

“What makes this conference significant is its timing. As India intends to host the (2036) Olympics, we are not just strengthening our infrastructure capabilities, but our intellectual and research preparedness too,” said the former athlete, who dominated Asian track and field in the 1980s.

The IOA president maintained the conference will serve as a platform where global expertise meets Indian innovation through discussion on urban transformation, technological advancements, sustainability and inclusive governance.

One of the main purposes of the conference is to demonstrate India’s holistic approach to sports development and its role in societal progress, Usha emphasised.

“This gathering gave a powerful message to the international sporting community – that is India’s commitment to contributing meaningfully to the global Olympic movement through research, innovation and knowledge exchange,” she opined.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 38th National Games in Dehradun on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government is putting all its might behind the ambitious bid to bag the hosting rights of 2036 Olympics, which will take Indian sports to new heights and create opportunities across different sectors.

In his address at the conference, which will conclude on January 30, IOA vice-president Ajay Patel said the conclave is a reflection of India’s evolving sporting vision.

Under the leadership of PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, India is transforming sports into a national mission of empowerment and innovation, he maintained.

“Research is our most powerful tool. During the conference, we should discuss critical questions, such as how sports infrastructure can drive urban regeneration, what economic models can make mega events financially sustainable and how do we ensure technological innovation benefits people,” Patel noted. PTI PJT PD RSY

One of the most inspirational stories in Indian sports arose during the Paris Paralympics 2024, when armless archer Sheetal Devi came into prominence. Then 17, Sheetal was regarded as one of the finest para-archers in the world despite not having arms, and backed up her reputation by winning bronze in the mixed team compound category at Paralympics 2024, alongside Rakesh Kumar. Industrialist and Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra had made a promise to Sheetal to gift her a car, and that has now been fulfilled.

After a bullseye hit by Sheetal Devi had gone viral, Anand Mahindra had posted on social media that he had promised her any car from the Mahindra range, which would be customised specially for her.

As per Mahindra, Devi had said that she would take the gift only after she turned 18.

Now, having turned 18 on January 10, Mahindra has seemingly lived up to the promise, as Sheetal was gifted a Mahindra Scorpio N SUV.

I have long admired @archersheetal ‘s talent from afar. Meeting her in person, I was struck by her remarkable determination, tenacity and focus.

Speaking to her mother and sister, it was clear that it runs in the family!

She gifted me an arrow, a symbol of her identity as an… pic.twitter.com/SFY8RCf6iM

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) January 28, 2025

“I have long admired Sheetal Devi’s talent from afar. Meeting her in person, I was struck by her remarkable determination, tenacity and focus,” Mahindra tweeted.

“Sheetal is an inspiration to us all, and I am proud to see her in a Scorpio N, a fitting steed for her as she continues to rise to new heights,” he concluded.

Sheetal caught the eye of one and all during Paralympics 2024 with her unique style of archery. Despite being born with a rare congenital disease called phocomelia, the girl from Jammu has become a superb archer.

At the time of the Paralympics, Sheetal was ranked as the No. 1 archer in the women’s open compound category.

Not only did she win a medal at the Paralympics, Sheetal is also the first and only international para-archery champion without upper limbs. She has also won two golds and a silver at the 2022 Para Asian Games.

File image of Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu© PTI

File image of Hokato Sema.© ANI

File image of Lovlina Borgohain.© AFP

An ambitious bid to host Olympics was set in motion, a long-pending national sports bill entered the final phase of being shaped into a policy but there was no end to the internal bickering and turf wars that have become the hallmark of Indian sports administration. Like most other things about Indian sports, even the administrators offered a mixed bag of performances in the year going by. But the country could take pride in some matters, the submission of a letter of intent to host the 2036 Olympic Games being one of them.

The development has kick-started an exciting but difficult journey to join a select few Asian countries to stage the ultimate sporting spectacle.

The October milestone itself was a roller-coaster ride thanks to the drama within the PT Usha-led Indian Olympic Association (IOA), a body that failed to explain just why India could not touch the double digit mark in its medal count at the Paris Olympics.

Half a dozen fourth place finishes might sound commendable for a nation trying to find its foothold in the Olympics but for a seasoned campaigner like India, they should have been medals that could push the tally past 10 in Paris.

IOA lives up to poor reputation

The IOA has been a faction-ridden body for the longest time and the Usha-led current dispensation is no exception.

The sprint legend found herself pitted against 12 members of the 15-strong Executive Council, and an ugly spat over the appointment of a CEO marred the whole of 2024.

It all began early in the year with Raghuram Iyer, a former top official of IPL sides Rajasthan Royals and Pune Supergiants, being handed charge as the IOA CEO.

The 12 opposing EC members refused to ratify his appointment, instead accusing Usha of “exerting pressure” on them to accept him as the CEO.

The track legend has termed the allegations as “shameful”.

There were allegations and counter-allegations with treasurer Sahdev Yadav threatening to file a defamation case against Usha for show-causing him to explain his eligibility to hold the post.

An EC meeting in September turned out to be a slanging match, that too in front of an International Olympic Committee (IOC) official who joined the proceedings virtually.

IOC issues warning

The IOC suspended the Olympic Solidarity grant to the IOA, amounting to Rs 8.50 crore annually and meant for athlete development programmes. It was meant to be a warning that India needed to put its house in order.

However, the move did not bring the warring IOA officials to their senses and both sides issued notices of a Special General Body Meeting (SGM) on different dates.

One of the agenda items of the SGM called by the revolting 12 EC members mentioned a ‘no-confidence motion’ against Usha.

But just before India formally submitted its 2036 Olympics bid to the IOC’s Future Host Commission on October 1, both sides postponed the meetings, pulling themselves from the brink.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi first made the announcement of India’s desire to host the 2036 Olympics and 2030 Youth Olympics during the IOC session held in Mumbai in October 2023.

In February this year, Usha said that the IOA was engaged in active dialogue with the Future Host Commission on India’s bid to host the Games even though a city is yet to be finalised.

Athlete-centric approach of IOA and government

Usha and new sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who assumed office in June, pledged an athlete-centric approach in their initiatives. As a result, a slew of schemes were unveiled which found support from both the active and retired India campaigners.

Medal winners at Khelo India Games — Youth (above 18), University, Para and Winter — were made eligible for government jobs as per revised criteria of the sports ministry.

Usha pitched for the inclusion of yoga in the Asian Games programme and she got support from Mandaviya. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), led by an Indian president in Randhir Singh, made it a demonstration sport at the 2026 Asian Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

With new sponsors coming in for the IOA, Usha proposed a medical insurance and pension scheme for all ex-Olympians.

On the insistence of the IOA, the government made a departure from the usual 3:1 ratio of athletes to support staff in the country’s Olympics contingent.

The sports ministry cleared 117 athletes and 140 support staff and officials for the Paris Olympics, which was an unprecedented relaxation allowing most athletes to have their personal coaches by their side.

Sports Ministry also launched RESET (Retired Sportsperson Empowerment Training) programme to make former athletes self-reliant after retirement by making them employable with “necessary skills and knowledge”.

Concerns regarding Draft Sports Bill 

A new Draft Sports Bill which provides for a regulatory body for the IOA and National Sports Federations to ensure transparency and accountability in their operations, besides relaxation in the age and tenure of the administrators, was circulated by the ministry.

Usha flagged the possible threat to the autonomy of the IOA and NSFs enshrined in the Olympic Charter. Mandaviya assured that the regulatory body would be autonomous and will not interfere in the day-to-day functioning of either the IOA or the NSFs.

The IOC has not reacted to the bill, which is likely to be introduced in the Parliament during the Budget Session in early 2025. But it will not be swayed by the assurances.

It will act whenever it feels there has been interference from third parties as had happened during the 14-month suspension of the IOA from December 2012 to February 2014.

Other developments

India’s high medal-yielding sports like hockey, shooting, cricket, badminton and wrestling were excluded from the roster of a heavily scaled-down 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, with the organisers citing financial and operational constraints.

The development caused an uproar that quickly died down as the host city’s right to have a schedule of choice is indisputable.

Onthe bright side, veteran sports administrator Randhir Singh became the first Indian to be elected president of the Olympic Council of Asia during its General Assembly in New Delhi.

Nita Ambani was re-elected as independent IOC member and shooting legend Abhinav Bindra was awarded the Olympic Order by the IOC for outstanding services to Olympic Movement.

Looking ahead: 2025 could be watershed year

The Paris Games performance by the Indian athletes was wide off the mark considering the liberal spending by the government, but 2025 could lift the gloom.

By the end of 2025 or early part of 2026, there will be clarity on the 2036 Olympics bid.

Poland, Indonesia, South Africa, Qatar, Hungary, Turkey, Mexico and Egypt are among other countries which have expressed their desire to host the 2036 Olympics.

Under the reformed host selection process, the IOC’s Future Host Commission can have “Informal Dialogue” with several aspirants in the first stage.

After this is the “Continuous Dialogue” stage where the IOC conducts a “feasibility study” of the progress of projects associated with the Games in the potential host.

The next phase of the process would be “Targeted Dialogue”, which would require the submission of an edition-specific formal bid.

After an assessment, the Future Host Commission may recommend a “preferred” host to the IOC Executive Board.

The IOC Session, the supreme decision-making body of the Olympics Movement, will then take a final decision on the Games host. The 2036 Olympics host will not be known before 2026.

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday announced cash awards of Rs 75 lakh to the gold medallists, Rs 50 lakh for the silver winners and Rs 30 lakh for the Indian athletes who have won bronze in the just-concluded Paralympic Games in Paris. Those excelling in mixed teams events, like archer Sheetal Devi, will get richer by Rs 22.5 lakh. The minister announced this during an event organised to felicitate the medallists at the mega-event.

Mandaviya also pledged full support and facilities for para-athletes to aim for more medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.

“The country is rising in Paralympics and para sports. From 4 medals in 2016, India have won 19 medals in Tokyo and 29 in Paris with 18th place finish,” Mandaviya said.

“We will provide all the facilities to all of our para-athletes so that we can win more medals and gold medals in 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.” India concluded their historic Paris Paralympics campaign with 29 medals, including seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals, marking the country’s best performance in the competition’s history.

India also crossed the 50-medal mark in Paralympic Games history with their excellent performance.

Swarmed by hundreds of supporters, India’s Paralympic medal-winners returned to a jubilant welcome on Tuesday after securing the unprecedented haul in the French capital.

The men’s javelin throw F41 final in the Paris Paralympic Games earned India its 29th and final medal of the campaign, as well as the 7th gold medal, thanks to Navdeep Singh. Though the event ended on a controversial note, with Navdeep’s initial silver being upgraded due to Iranian athlete’s disqualification over the display of a flag, the India star was elated to put the Tokyo Paralympics ghosts to bed. After making history for India, earning first-ever medal in the F41 category of the Paralympics, Naval drew comparisons with India’s Olympics star Neeraj Chopra.

Neeraj had famously earned a gold medal for India in the Tokyo Olympics, before adding as silver to his trophy cabinet in the Paris Olympics. Seeing Navdeep bag a the yellow metal in Paris Para Games, his coach Naval Singh claimed that his ward’s technique is even better than Neeraj’s.

“I knew Navdeep was going to make me and India proud. He has done a lot of hard work. Navdeep ki technique Neeraj Chopra se bhi behtar hai (Navdeep’s technique is even better than Neeraj Chopra’s). If he were in able-bodied athletics, he would have done wonders. But we are all proud of Navdeep. This is just the start for him-he is going to break several records,” Navdeep’s coach told Times of India.

Navdeep also lauded his coach for the work the two put together over the years, finally reaping the rewards in Paris Paralympics.

“My coach, Naval Singh, has worked a lot with me. He has trained me for almost seven years. He has played a big role in my career. Whatever I am today, it’s because of him. He has made me an international-level javelin thrower. All the credit for my technique and foundation goes to him,” Navdeep said.