New Delhi: In a first-of-its-kind event the Narendra Modi government is set to felicitate the medal winners of Asian Games 2018 at a mega event likely to be held in the national capital. The Prime Minister’s Office is also understood to be keen on acknowledging the medal winners personally — this being the best ever medal haul for the country at the Asian Games.
India’s medal tally at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang was 69 medals — 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze —surpassing the previous best of 65 medals won at the 2010 edition in Guangzhou, China. At the 2010 Asian Games, India had collected 14 gold medals, 17 silver and 34 bronze medals.
“@Media_SAI has booked a convention hall, @IndiaSports will be honouring our champions, presenting monetary awards and talking about future goals and facilities/resources at their disposal to achieve the goals. H'ble PM is likely to meet them exclusively,” Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports and Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore tweeted. The Asian Games success is being seen as a stepping stone to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
