PM Modi interacts with sportspersons, urges them to spread message of determination, positivity in battle against coronavirus

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday interacted with eminent sportspersons via video conferencing and urged them to boost the morale of people in the fight against coronavirus and spread the message of the five-point mantra of 'sankalp (determination), sanyam (restraint), sakaratmakta (positivity), samman (respect) and sahyog (cooperation)'.

More than 40 top sportspersons from across disciplines took part in the interaction.

Prime Minister said that the traits learnt during sports training - the ability to face challenges, self-discipline, positivity and self-belief - are the essential tools to combat the spread of the virus.

A PMO release said that the Prime Minister praised the sportspersons for bringing glory to the nation through their stellar performances on the field.

He said they now have a very important role to play in boosting the morale of the nation, spreading the message of social distancing and asking people to continuously follow advisories given during lockdown.

The Prime Minister asked them to include five points in their message to people - 'sankalp' to fight the pandemic, 'sanyam' to follow social distancing, 'sakaratmakta' to maintain positivity, 'samman' to respect the frontline soldiers in this battle including the medical fraternity and police personnel and 'sahyog' at personal level as well as national level through contribution to PM-CARES fund.

He also asked them to highlight the importance of both physical and mental fitness and also popularise guidelines released by AYUSH Ministry.

Modi mentioned that it is imperative that India emerges victorious in this battle against the global pandemic and expressed confidence in pro-active participation by the sportspersons in the battle.

He said COVID-19 is an adversary of humanity and the gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that Olympics had to be postponed, the first time it happened since World War II.

The Prime Minister said several other prominent sporting events like Wimbledon and the Indian Premier League have been shifted.

The release said that sportspersons praised the leadership of the Prime Minister in this challenging time.

They also thanked him for ensuring that the frontline health care workers and police personnel involved in this battle get the respect they deserve for their selfless service. They talked about the importance of discipline, mental strength, following a fitness regimen and taking steps to boost immunity.

Those who took part in the video conference included Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar, BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly, women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal, ace badminton player PV Sindhu, Kabaddi player Ajay Thakur, sprinter Hima Das, para athlete high jumper Sharad Kumar, top tennis player Ankita Raina, eminent cricketer Yuvraj Singh and men's cricket team captain Virat Kohli.

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju and other senior officials of the ministry also participated in the interaction.