<span style="color: #222222;">Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the 36th National Games in the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera area of Ahmedabad city on Friday. Addressing a huge gathering Prime Minister said the official mascot of the 36th National Games, Savaj, inspired by the Gir lions, represents the strength, grit and determination of our athletes. The Prime Minister said World-class infrastructure will play an important role in encouraging athletes and improving India's performance at global competitions. He said power of sports enhances the identity of the nation, and the image of the nation in manifold. The victory of the players in the field, their strong performance, paves the way for the victory of the country in other fields Mr. Modi further added that during the past eight years, there has been massive development in the field of sports in the country. The budget allocated for the sports has increased by 70 percent in the last eight years. Today players are provided with more and more resources and wide opportunities.  <br />''<br />''Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged players who have travelled to Gujarat to also take part in the ongoing celebrations of Navratri. He said the spirit of festivals unites our country. He said Youth create and lead the path to a nation's growth, adding that sports form an unshakeable pillar of development and growth for the youth. He also said "success starts with action. The day we take the first step, we have already started the journey towards success.<br />''<br />''The PM said schemes like Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) are playing a big role in the success of the big players and creation of the new future players.<br />''<br />''During the event PM also virtually inaugurated the World Class Swarnim Gujarat Sports University at Desar in Vadodara. India's ace players including Neeraj Chopra, Anju Bobby George, Ravi Dahia, PV Sindhu, Bajarang Puniya, Meera Bai Chanu were felicitated by PM Modi on the occasion.<br />''<br />''More than 7,000 players from 28 States and 8 Union territories have taken part in the 36th National Games, the biggest sports bonanza in the country. India's Ace shuttler PV Sindhu and star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra also attended the opening ceremony. The sporting events include Archery, Athletics, Kho Kho, Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Shooting, Squash, Volleyball, Wrestling, Weightlifting, Kabaddi, Boxing, Cycling, Football, Golf, Hockey, Yogasana among many others.<br />''<br />''Starting today, the Games will conclude on 12th October. The games will be held at more than 15 venues in six cities of the state namely Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Bhavnagar, and Rajkot while the track cycling event will be held in Delhi. The grand opening ceremony also witnessed the musical performances by leading Gujarati folk singers and Bollywood singers.</span><br />