PM'S SPEECH AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF ISSF WORLD CUP-2003 AND
THE INAUGURAL CEREMONY OF THE ASIAN CLAY SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP
The event was
a World Cup related to the game of shooting, but cricket, particularly
tomorrow’s World Cup Final between India and Australia was on
the minds of everybody. The Prime Minister, who was the chief
guest at the closing ceremony of ISSF World Cup-2003 and the inaugural
Ceremony of the Asian Clay Shooting Championship here today, cheered
the Indian Cricket Team by saying, "our Boys in Blue have
done India proud in this tournament. They overcame initial setbacks
and, since then, have never looked back. To Saurav and his team,
I say, "Emulate the great shooter Arjuna. Aim at the Cup
and bring it again to India."
The Prime Minister
further remarked, "Shooting a film is fine. Shooting as a
sport is also fine. But let there be no more shooting of missiles
and gunshots on this beautiful planet of ours".
Following is the
full text of the speech of Prime Minister on the occasion:
"I am happy
to be with all of you at these prestigious twin sporting events.
India had the distinction of hosting the 3rd ISSF World
Cup, which concluded yesterday. It is appropriate that it was
held at the historic ranges, named after Dr. Karni Singh, India’s
legendary international shooter.
I felicitate
all the shooters who participated in this competition. I am told
that the tournament evoked a lot of interest because of the participation
of many top-ranking marksmen from the world over. I heartily congratulate
all the medal winners. I am glad to know that among the winners
are two Indian shooters – Major R.V.S. Rathore and Shri Manavjit
Singh. Well done, and best wishes to both of you.
Friends, I must
confess my unfamilarity with your sport. When one hears "Shooting",
one usually associates it with either entertainment – such as
in shooting a film – or with violence. Shooting a film is fine.
Shooting as a sport is also fine. But let there be no more shooting
of missiles and gunshots on this beautiful planet of ours.
In the last Commonwealth
Games, India occupied the top spot in the medals tally in Shooting.
To all those shooters who brought this honour to our country,
I say, "Keep it up!"
Indian women
have done exceedingly well in recent international sporting events.
One of them who deserves our special congratulations today is
Air Rifle Shooter, Ms Anjali Vedpathak. She has the singular distinction
of qualifying for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
I am happy to
see that Indian shooters have, steadily, become a force to reckon
with in the international arena. Shri Jaspal Rana became the Junior
World Champion in Standard Pistol, equaling the world record,
in 1994. Shri Abhinav Bindra is the present world record holder
in Air Rifle event for juniors. It is indeed a measure of the
recognition of our shooters that, by now, about two dozen of them
have been conferred the coveted Arjuna Awards.
I am also glad
to know that for the first time, India is going to host the Asian
Clay Shooting Championship from today. My best wishes to all the
participants, including 20 Indian shooters, who would be competing
for supremacy at the Asian level.
I would like
the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and the Sports Authority
of India to host more and more international sporting events in
our country. These help Indian sports in several ways. When I
went to Hyderabad a few months ago to attend the closing ceremony
of the National Games, I was truly happy to see that the occasion
was used to construct a beautiful stadium and other facilities
with the most modern equipment in the world. Similarly, holding
international tournaments of this kind would help in improving
sports infrastructure in our country.
Secondly, such
events enthuse our sportspersons to compete against the best talent
in the world on our own soil. Our benchmarks of success go up
steadily.
It is especially
necessary that we pay extra attention to those relatively less
popular sports, which account for many medals in international
tournaments. A sustained and focused effort in these sports would
help India to improve our overall medals tally. And, as all of
us know, a gold medal is a gold medal – whether it is won in hockey
or in shooting.
I therefore,
hope that these two tournaments would provide a good opportunity
to our shooters to find a berth in the Athens Olympics.
Friends, since
this is a sporting event, it is perhaps not out of place for me
to mention that all our hearts and minds are today riveted on
tomorrow’s World Cup Cricket Final in Johannesburg. Our Boys in
Blue have done India proud in this tournament. They overcame initial
setbacks and, since then, have never looked back. To Saurav and
his team, I say, "Emulate the great shooter Arjuna. Aim at
the Cup and bring it again to India."
I take this opportunity
to compliment Shri Digvijay Singh, Shri K.P. Singh Deo, and all
their colleagues for the successful conduct of this prestigious
tournament.
With these words,
I declare the ISSF World Cup 2003 closed. I also declare the Asian
Clay Shooting Championship open"
