Tendulkar Urges Modi To Talk About Rio-Bound Athletes On August 15

New Delhi: Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk about some of the sportspersons, who are striving to bring laurels for the country at the ongoing Rio Olympics, in his speech on 70th Independence Day.

Prime Minister Modi has asked for suggestions from the citizens of India on what he should include in his speech on Independence Day, through his newly launched mobile application -- Namo.

In a letter to Modi’s app, Tendulkar has urged the Prime Minister to say some encouraging words to all those athletes who have failed to win a medal at the Rio Games and also those who are still striving hard to get one.

Words of encouragement from you will definitely help some who are deeply disappointed at their performance while the others maybe further motivated to excel at the Games, Tendulkar wrote.

An Indian Olympic Association goodwill ambassador, Tendulkar was present in Rio de Janeiro to boost the morale of the athletes.

Urging Modi to emphasise on the significance of sports in everyone’s life, Tendulkar said:

“In the past, you have emphasised on the significance of sports in our lives and the need for more and more citizens, especially the youth to adopt the ‘sporting way’.

India has the largest youth population in the world and is marching towards being the youngest nation in terms of the average age of citizens.”

We are presented with an opportunity to nurture the sporting culture in India. A sporting nation will also be a healthy nation fighting the growth of lifestyle diseases threatening us.

PTI