Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 13 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday praised the recent performances of Indian athletes on the global stage, noting that their success in international competitions reflects the growing confidence and self-belief among the country's young sportspersons.

From historic Women's ODI World Cup wins in cricket last year and squash to breakthrough performances by young stars in shooting and boxing, Indian sports have offered a great promise for the LA 2028 Olympics.

Harmanpreet Kaur led India in last year's Women's World Cup, while Suryakumar Yadav followed it up by captaining the men's side to a T20 World Cup triumph at home in March. On the squash front, India bagged their first-ever Mixed Team World Cup title in Chennai.

'In the past few years, our players have delivered outstanding performances in many international competitions. This shows how sky-high the confidence of our young Indian players is today,' Rajnath Singh said while addressing the Sansad Khel Mahakumbh in Lucknow on Monday.

Rajnath highlighted that states are increasingly focusing on sports-oriented higher education, praising Uttar Pradesh for its efforts and citing the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut.

'Now, efforts are also being made in the states for sports-specialised higher education. In this regard, Uttar Pradesh is doing highly commendable work. The example of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut is right before us,' he added.

Rajnath also highlighted that the Khelo India programme has significantly boosted women's participation in sports, noting that Khelo India Women's Leagues are being held across multiple cities with strong turnout from female athletes.

The Khelo India programme has been introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grassroots level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country.

'Another encouraging outcome of the Khelo India program is the participation of our daughters. Khelo India Women's Leagues are being organised in many cities across the country. Women's participation in these events is quite high,' Singh concluded. (ANI)