INDIA. Mumbai: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh felicitated medal winners, participants and support staff from the Armed Forces, who took part in the recently concluded 19th Asian Games at Hangzhou, China, on Tuesday.
A total of 76 players and staff members were recognized for their outstanding performance. The Armed Forces personnel earned a total of 16 individual medals (3 Gold, 6 Silver, and 7 Bronze) and eight team medals (2 Gold, 3 Silver, and 3 Bronze) at the Games.
Gold medal winners received Rs 25 lakh, Silver medal winners received Rs 15 lakh, and Bronze medal winners were awarded Rs 10 lakh.
The Armed Forces had a contingent of 88 soldiers participating in 18 disciplines at the Games, which took place from September 23 to October 8.
During the felicitation ceremony, Singh praised the athletes and reminded them of the inspirational story of Flying Sikh Milkha Singh, who narrowly missed a medal in the 1960 Olympics but became a guiding star for Indian athletics.
Singh emphasized the government’s efforts to develop a sports culture in India, including initiatives like Fit India and Khelo India campaigns, and the Target Olympic Podium Scheme aimed at increasing India’s medal count in the Olympics. He also mentioned India’s aspirations to host the Olympic Games in 2036.
The event was attended by top military officials, including Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh, and senior officers of the Sports Control Board of the respective services.
Some of the honored athletes included Sgt Navinkumar and Sgt Mizo Chako from the Indian Air Force, MCPO II (G S) Surjit, CPO (PT) TPS Toor, CPO (RP) MD Anas, and AG PO (GW) MD Ajmal from the Indian Navy, and Avinash Sable, Hav Karthi Kumar, R/Hav Rambaboo, and Sub Narender from the Indian Army.
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