Convert pressure into performance: Mansukh Mandaviya tells Asian Games contingent

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday urged the Indian contingent for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya to fear no opponent, turn "pressure into performance" and build on the country’s impressive medal surge at the continental showpiece.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) organised a send-off ceremony for the 503-member contingent, with several athletes and teams in attendance. Mandaviya said India’s medal tally had risen significantly from the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon to the 2023 edition in Hangzhou and called for the upward trend to continue.

“The athletes’ success also becomes the nation’s success. We have a contingent of 503 athletes competing at the upcoming Asian Games. I am confident that we will put up a good performance which will bring about a quantum change in the sports sector,” Mandaviya said at the ceremony.

Several prominent names and teams, including members of the hockey squads and top track-and-field athletes, were absent from the function as they have either already reached the Games venue or are in the final stages of their preparations.

“In 2014, we won 57 medals at the Asian Games in Incheon, but in the 2023 edition, we won 107 medals. An ecosystem was created for sports in the country. It was the result of dialogue at the federation and government levels. This continuous dialogue has brought about a change,” Mandaviya said.

“The rise in the number of medals from 2014 to 2023 was 53 per cent. The rise in gold medals was even more significant, at 75 per cent. In the Asian Para Games too, we won 111 medals in Hangzhou in 2023,” he added.

Mandaviya, however, said India still had considerable untapped potential, with no shortage of talent or manpower.

“Year by year, medals have increased, but we have much more potential. There is no dearth of manpower or talent in the country,” he said.

He also called on the athletes to embrace the pressure of competition and view their opponents as opportunities rather than threats.

“I am confident Indian athletes will not fear their opponents. This should become our mentality. Convert pressure into performance and look at opponents as an opportunity to win medals,” Mandaviya said.

IOA president PT Usha, sports federation officials, administrators and ministry officials were also present at the ceremony.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Bridge Desk. It is published from a syndicated feed.)