Modi at NDA Conclave: India must set ambitious Olympic goals, sports growth mirrors national rise
Synopsis
At the NDA Conclave marking 12 years of alliance rule, Modi did more than celebrate — he set a sporting mandate. Calling Olympic preparation a 'reflection of India's aspirations' and urging the nation to 'not think small', he framed athletic ambition as inseparable from the government's reform identity. The political and sporting messages were deliberately intertwined.
Key Takeaways
PM Narendra Modi addressed the NDA Conclave at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on 10 June .
Modi called for ambitious Olympic targets , saying preparations reflect India's national aspirations.
He described India as an emerging global hub for professional sporting leagues .
The conclave marked 12 years of the NDA government ; a resolution hailed Modi as the longest-serving elected Prime Minister .
Leaders from 22 NDA-ruled states and union territories attended, including chiefs of TDP, JD(U), Shiv Sena, LJP, NCP, Jana Sena, HAM, JD(S), and RLD .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 June praised Indian athletes and called on the nation to set bold targets for the Olympics, declaring that the country's expanding sporting achievements mirror its broader aspirations, at the NDA Conclave held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Modi's Call for Olympic Ambition
Addressing the conclave, Modi highlighted the rapid progress of young Indian athletes and stressed that the momentum must translate into global podium finishes. 'Indian youth are performing remarkably well in sports, and their performances continue to improve with each passing day,' he said.
He directly linked Olympic preparation to national aspiration. 'Our preparations for the Olympics are also a reflection of India's aspirations,' Modi said, urging athletes and administrators alike to reject incremental thinking. 'We must not think small. We must set ambitious goals and put all our strength into achieving them,' he added.
India as a Global Sports Hub
The Prime Minister noted India's emergence as a destination for major professional sporting leagues, projecting continued growth in that standing. 'India is steadily becoming the home of some of the world's biggest sporting leagues. In the years ahead, this reputation will grow even stronger,' he said.
This comes amid a period of visible expansion in Indian sports infrastructure and franchise-based leagues across cricket, football, kabaddi, and hockey — sectors that have drawn significant private investment over the past decade.
Reform as Conviction, Not Compulsion
Modi also drew a parallel between India's sporting rise and his government's wider reform agenda. 'Friends, today India is moving rapidly forward on the reform express,' he said. 'For us, reform is not a compulsion; reform is our conviction.' The framing positioned sporting success as one dimension of a larger national transformation narrative.
NDA Conclave: Key Figures and Context
The conclave was convened to mark 12 years of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre. A resolution passed at the event congratulated Modi on becoming the longest-serving elected Prime Minister and described his leadership and the NDA government's record as 'iconic'.
The gathering brought together all NDA alliance partners, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, and chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of all 22 NDA-ruled states and union territories. Key figures present included BJP president Nitin Nabin, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu, Janata Dal (United) leader Sanjay Jha, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ram Vilas) supremo Chirag Paswan, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sunetra Pawar, Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan, Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, Janata Dal (Secular) chief H.D. Kumaraswamy, and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary.
With the next Olympics cycle already in focus, Modi's remarks signal that sports performance is being increasingly framed as a metric of national prestige — and that the Centre intends to keep it high on the policy agenda.
Point of View
Athlete-centred pipeline is rhetoric. India's Olympic medal count has improved, yet remains well below the country's demographic weight. Framing 'reform as conviction' in the same breath as sporting aspiration is politically cohesive — but it papers over the structural gaps in grassroots sports funding, coach quality, and anti-doping infrastructure that still separate India from genuine Olympic powers. The NDA's 12-year milestone gives the government a platform; what it does with the next cycle will determine whether this was a vision or a valediction.
NationPress
27 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did PM Modi say about the Olympics at the NDA Conclave?
PM Modi urged India to set ambitious Olympic goals, saying the country's preparations reflect its national aspirations. He called on athletes and stakeholders to 'not think small' and to commit fully to achieving success on the global stage.
What was the NDA Conclave held to mark?
The NDA Conclave at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi was convened to mark 12 years of the NDA government at the Centre. A resolution passed at the event also congratulated Modi on becoming India's longest-serving elected Prime Minister.
Who attended the NDA Conclave on 10 June?
The conclave was attended by all NDA alliance partners, senior BJP leaders, and chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of 22 NDA-ruled states and union territories. Key attendees included Chandrababu Naidu, Eknath Shinde, Chirag Paswan, Pawan Kalyan, H.D. Kumaraswamy, and Jayant Chaudhary, among others.
What did Modi say about India becoming a sports hub?
Modi said India is 'steadily becoming the home of some of the world's biggest sporting leagues' and expressed confidence that this reputation would grow stronger in the years ahead.
How did Modi connect sports to his government's reform agenda?
Modi drew a direct parallel between India's sporting rise and his government's broader development push, saying 'reform is not a compulsion; reform is our conviction' — framing athletic progress as one dimension of national transformation.
