For Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) acting president Raja Randhir Singh the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou was the “best-ever” sports event he had attended.
Randhir was “overwhelmed” by India’s overall performance and hailed the promised feat of winning more than 100 medals.
A veteran in the world of sports, as a shooter and an administrator, Randhir was all praise for the host.
“They were perfect. The Games Village was amazing and the flawless conduct of the competitions was a marvel indeed,” he said. “In my life, I have seen many Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and continental games but this one at Hangzhou stands out as unparalleled in terms of organisation and performance.”
Lauding the efforts of the Indian contingent, Randhir said, “They made us proud. It is the beginning of India’s rise as a sporting nation. The power of sport, the power of the Asian Games is to unite us all in life and the Indian athletes highlighted this with their fantastic performance.”
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In Randhir Singh’s opinion, India is ready for bigger achievements. “The talent pool is awesome. Our athletes have shown that they can emerge as the best. They have the talent and the skill to give their best in the medal rounds.
“The authorities have done a fine job of preparing them and understood the importance of sending your teams for competitions. Unless you participate in competitions you can’t improve and win medals,” he said.
“The sporting culture and infrastructure in India is as good as any. Our athletes have learnt to emerge champions and the Asian Games have shown the way. We have to keep the momentum going.”
The Hangzhou Games was the third Asiad to be held in China, after Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010. Delhi had hosted the first-ever Asian Games in 1951.
