"Aim higher to scale greater heights," Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh urged the Indian athletes while bringing down the curtain on the 33rd National Games in Guwahati on Sunday afternoon.
Addressing the sparkling closing ceremony Dr Singh exhorted sportspersons to strive to keep the tricolour flying high at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held in Delhi, and Beijing Olympics next year.
"I congratulate the people of Assam and the organizers for holding the biggest and most successful National Games. The real challenge before you now is to maintain properly the world class sports infrastructure that have been created for the Games and utilize those to produce world class athletes from the state," Dr Singh said much to the cheers of the packed India Gandhi Athletic Complex, the main stadium of the Games in Assam.
He has words of praise for tiny state of Manipur that has emerged as a powerhouse of athletes in the country.
Manipur was placed just below the Services that topped the final medal tally of the Games with 57 gold medals. Manipur bagged 51 gold followed by Assam that won 38 gold medals.
Karnataka swimmer Rehan Poncha bagged nine gold medals and was named the best male athlete of the Games, an honour he received in the last edition in Hyderabad as well. Delhi swimmer Richa Mishra was adjudged best female athlete for her feat of winning eight gold medals.
"India is doing well in many fields. Time has come for us to take effective steps to spot and hone our sporting talents through proper training and international exposure. The sports has the unique power to bind the nation together," Dr Singh said while calling upon the corporate sector to promote popular sports in the country by looking beyond the handful of sports like cricket and tennis.
"To produce world class athletes we have to get rid of the malady of children malnutrition. We must have healthy children that would grow to become health young adult and fresh sporting talents. All the states of the country must join hands to keep children malnutrition at bay," Dr Singh said.
The Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi termed it as the 'finest ever National Games' held in the country so far with support of world class infrastructure and a splendid Games village.
"I congratulate the people of Assam and its government for holding the National Games such a magnificent manner. It was indeed a grand success," Kalmadi said.
The next edition of National Games will be held in Jharkhand.
