South Asian Games 2016: PM Modi lauds Assam, other N-E states for promoting football

The 12th edition of the South Asian Games was thrown open on Friday, 5 February, with a glittering ceremony at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Guwahati.

With a host of dignitaries in attendance, legendary footballer Bhaichung Bhutia lit the flame for the sub-continental games, which will run till 1 February.

Also in attendance were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Union Minister of Sports Sarbananda Sonowal. PM Modi addressed the athletes and the crowd on the occasion. He said:

"Sports has to be an essential part of an individual's life. A good game is both healthy and refreshing. All round development of the personality is incomplete without sports"

"Guwahati has come a long way since the days of Pragjyotishpur in Ancient India. It is now a modern and vibrant city and a hub of all economic activities in the North-Eastern Region of India".

Lauding the people of Assam on their love of football, Modi said, "Young people in the Northeast and especially here in Assam do not miss any opportunity to witness a good football match".

"This fame has spread so far and wide that the FIFA World Cup Under-17 which will be hosted first time in India in 2017 has chosen Guwahati as a prime venue for the event," he said.