Sports Min Mandaviya felicitates Asian Equestrian medallists, reaffirms govt’s commitment to set up a quarantine centre in a year
New Delhi:
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya came to join the medal‑winning eventing and dressage squads on Friday, celebrating their milestone achievements at the FEI Asian Equestrian Championships.
The six‑person team brought home five medals from Pattaya, a haul that marked an unprecedented success for India at a continental championship.
"Champions of Bharat! Met and felicitated the medal winners of the Asian Equestrian Championship 2025 held in Thailand. Under the leadership of PM @narendramodi, Bharat is reaching new heights in global equestrian sport," Mandaviya posted on X.
Ashish Limaye added two medals to India’s tally—a historic individual gold in Eventing and a silver in the team competition—while Shruti Vora secured three silvers, two individually and one as part of the dressage team.
The remaining team members were Shashank Singh Kataria and Shashank Kanmuri in Eventing, and Divyakriti Singh and Gaurav Pundir in Dressage.
During the ceremony, the minister highlighted India’s growing footprint in equestrian sports. “India is doing well even in sporting disciplines in which we hardly have had a global presence earlier. I laud all of you for the passion with which you have pursued a discipline which has had a limited ecosystem in India. However, this is not the India of 10 years back,” he said.
“You would have witnessed the changes in the sports ecosystem in the last decade. I am assuring you that the government will remove any hurdle that comes between an athlete and his or her medal. We will create an equestrian‑friendly sports ecosystem here in India, so that athletes do not have to train abroad.”
The minister also reaffirmed the government’s pledge to set up a quarantine centre for horses within the next year—a long‑awaited facility essential for international competition travel.
Shruti Vora, who earned three silvers, praised the minister’s responsiveness. “When we addressed our concerns, he immediately asked everyone to get working on the equine disease‑free zone. He said we need a complete ecosystem, not just a few athletes going abroad,” she noted.
“We need the whole equestrian fraternity to be given that opportunity, that they can compete in India, they can qualify in India, and once they meet the selection criteria, they are allowed to take their horses from India to any other country. Once these systems are in place, everything becomes easier,” the 54‑year‑old said.
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