Ahmedabad will soon have the world’s biggest sports city: Amit Shah

Ahmedabad, September 5, 2022

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said here on Sunday that Ahmedabad would soon be developed into the world's biggest sports city.

Speaking after unveiling the mascot and releasing the anthem for the 36th National Games at the EKA Arena, TransStadia in Ahmedabad, he recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, had started the Khel Mahakumb at a time when Gujarat did not figure anywhere on the global sports map.

“Now, we have the Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest stadium in the world, and very soon we will have the world’s biggest sports city, too,” Shah said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur were also present on the occasion.

The Home Minister is the Lok Sabha member from the adjoining city of Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat.

The 36th National Games are scheduled to be held in six cities of Gujarat from September 29 to October 12.

“Once upon a time, we Gujaratis were mostly seen as just businessmen. But Modiji started Khel Mahakumbh 11 years back and that event has become so big that as many as 55 lakh youngsters took part in this edition. We even offered a whopping Rs 29 crore as prize money to the winners,” Patel said.

“We are delighted that the National Games are back after seven years and this will one will be the biggest and grandest ever,” Thakur said.

"It normally takes years to organise an event of this scale but Gujarat did this in less than three months. It is all thanks to the efforts of the CM, with IOA supporting our initiative in a big way. Over 12,000 athletes, officials and support stage will enjoy not only the sporting extravaganza but also the garba here,” he added.

Others present on the occasion included Gujarat Sports Minister Harsh Sanghavi and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Secretary-General Rajeev Mehta.

The mayors of the six host cities -- Kiritkumar J Parmar (Ahmedabad), Hemali Boghawala (Surat), Keyur Rokadiya (Vadodara), Pradip Dav (Rajkot), Kirti Danidhariya (Bhavnagar) and Hitesh Makwana (Gandhinagar) were also present.

The winners of the Khel Mahakumbh, including the top three schools, districts and municipal corporations of the state, were felicitated shortly before the launch of the mascot.

Titled "Saavaj", lion in Gujarati, the mascot represents India's cultural heritage while also giving a glimpse of a rapidly growing India.

The anthem of the Games, encapsulating the philosophy of Judega India, Jitega India, has been rendered by singer Sukhwinder Singh.

NNN