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Asian Games Special: Indian team set for record medal haul
Updated: 2010-03-10 16:47
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The Indian team has high hopes of achieving its best ever performance at the 16th Asian Games, due to be held in Guangzhou between November 12 and 27 this year.
India will be sending a substantial number of athletes to compete in the Games, according to Dr. S. Jaishankar, the country's ambassador to China.
He said: "I am sure that Indian athletes are very excited and looking forward to achieving considerable success at the Guangzhou Games.
"We are particularly looking forward to competing in the cricket events, an immensely popular game in India, which will be played for the first time in the year's Asian Games."
The ambassador said that the Consulate General of India in Guangzhou will fully support the upcoming Asian Games.
He said: "We are prepared to receive large number of participants as well as other Indian nationals visiting the city during this period."
Under the banner of "Thrilling Games, Harmonious Asia", the upcoming Asian Games is set to draw crowds to the event to see the ultimate in sporting competitiveness. The event is also committed to promoting the common aspirations among the Asian community and to highlighting its qualities throughout the world.
The ambassador said: "People in India are always very enthusiastic about the Asian Games. We hope the people of China, especially those in Guangzhou, have a huge success as result of the games."
India hosted the first Asian Games in 1951 and was also the setting for the ninth Games in 1982. It has, since its inception, been one of the most active supporters of the Games. The country also remains one of the major participants in the event.
Anticipating the 2010 event, the ambassador said: "I am very much looking forward to our performance in the Guangzhou Games."
India was ranked as seventh overall in the Doha Games back in 2006 with two gold, five silver and three bronze medals. It has high expectations of medals in a number of events this year, especially cricket, soccer and chess.
As part of its preparations for the Guangzhou Games, India sent its National Olympic Soccer Team for the Challenge Cup championship to Sri Lanka last month.
The team won the top spot in December 2009 at the South Asian Football Federation Championship, demonstrating its high level of competitiveness.
The very first Asian Games were held at a time when many Asian countries had just achieved independence and were still establishing their own identities. It proved a key forum for development. Every subsequent Asian Games has received increasing support from all member countries.
The Asian Games are second only to the Summer Olympics as a global sporting event, according to the ambassador. They have established a reputation for increasing interaction and exchange between member countries. Since its launch in 1951 in New Delhi, the Games have grown both in stature and in terms of the countries participating.
"The 'Orient Charm' performance at the closing ceremony of the previous Asian Games at Doha, when the flag of the Olympic Council of Asia was handed over to Guangzhou, was impressive," the ambassador said, emphasizing his confidence in the future of the Games.
"Following in the wake of China's successful hosting of the Beijing Olympics, I have no doubt that the Games will be a resounding success," he said.
The year 2010 also marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and China. Commenting on the significance of the anniversary, he said: "To commemorate this event, we are organizing a number of activities in India, including a 'Festival of India in China'. The Festival will include various cultural and business events that will promote bilateral exchange in these fields. I look forward to the enthusiastic participation of our Chinese citizens in these activities."
(China Daily 03/09/2010 page12)
