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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to Indian athletes who performed exceptionally by winning medals in the 19th Asian Games to spread the message of 'drug-free India'.
PM Modi met the Indian contingent that participated in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium in New Delhi.
Addressing the athletes, PM Modi praised their achievement and asked them to promote drug-free India as they can play a big role in the nation's ongoing fight against drugs.
"There were athletes who visited schools some of them are here, I know Neeraj visited a school and children were praising him. Our country is currently engaged in a decisive fight against drugs, you are aware of the negative effects of drugs and even if an athlete is guilty of doping unknowingly, the career of that athlete will be destroyed. Sometimes the desire for victory takes an athlete to a different route. I want to spread awareness among the youngsters through you (athletes). You can play a big role in this. You are the idol of mental strength and commitment. You can't win medals by using your physical strength. Mental strength plays a big role. You are the biggest brand ambassador for educating youngsters about the negative effects of drugs," PM Modi said.
India crossed the 100-medal mark for the first time in their Asian Games history, making this one of the most memorable sporting events for the country in a long while and something that will immortalise all the athletes taking part in it.
India finished their Asian Games 2023 campaign with a record haul of 107 medals: 28 gold, 38 silver, and 41 bronze. This surpassed India's previous record tally achieved at the last edition in Jakarta 2018, where a 570-strong Indian squad racked up 70 medals, 16 gold, 23 silver, and 31 bronze.
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Shooting led the way for India at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou with an unprecedented haul of 22 medals, which included seven gold.
Athletics, headlined by Neeraj Chopra's successful title defence in the javelin throw, came a close second with six gold along with 14 silver and nine bronze. Athletics gave the country a total of 29 medals.