New Delhi, March 22 (IANS) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and his junior Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday wished the Indian contingent for the 2018 Commonwealth Games (CWG) during a send-off ceremony organised by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) here.

“I am fully confident that the players who are going to the Commonwealth Games will bring laurels to the country,” the Home Minister, who left the event after a five-minute speech, said.

“When a country becomes an economic power there is a sense of pride among the people of the country. Similarly, when a sportsperson wins in international games, it evokes a sense of pride among the people of the entire country,” he added.

IOA President Narinder Batra, along with Secretary General Rajeev Mehta distributed the official kits to the members of the Indian contingent, leaving for the Gold Coast Games, which start on April 4 in Australia.

India will see the participation of 222 athletes across 15 different disciplines including aquatics, athletics, badminton, basketball, cycling, boxing, gymnastics, hockey, shooting, squash, table tennis and wrestling.

Wishing the athletes, Rijiju said: “I am confident the Indian contingent will return with a huge haul of medals from Australia.

“The objective should be to win as many medals as possible. But it is also important to enjoy your game and play with the spirit of the game. You should think that you are fortunate to be representing the country and to be playing under the Tri-colour,” he added.

“You should not do anything which will bring disrepute to this country inside or outside the field of play.”

–IANS
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