Games important, promote national integration: President

President Pranab Mukherjee Saturday said that sports and games promote national integration and inculcate national pride while fostering friendship, amity and a spirit of sportsmanship.

Congratulating the participants and medal winners of the 35th National Games held in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, the president urged them to continue to do their best to bring glory to themselves as well as their family, friends and community, a statement said.

"The National Games are held every four years to provide a forum for states to compete with each other and enable our sports persons demonstrate the excellence they can achieve," he said.

The president also said sports and games are "important for every community and society".

The president congratulated Kerala for hosting the event for the second time after 1987, saying that it has got state of the art infrastructure for sports events.

Over 10,000 athletes competed in 33 events to win a total of 1,363 medals, including 412 gold and silver each.