Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya felicitates historic equestrian medalists; highlights how India's revamped sports ecosystem is driving landmark first-time medals

New Delhi [India], December 5 (ANI): Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated the medal-winning Eventing and Dressage teams on Friday for their historic performance at the FEI Asian Equestrian Championship 2025. The contingent of six returned with five medals from Pattaya across team and individual events, making it a historic outing at the continental championship, as per a release.

Ashish Limaye bagged two medals - a landmark individual gold in Eventing and a silver in team event, while Shruti Vora achieved three silvers - two in individual and one in team Dressage. The other team members were Shashank Singh Kataria and Shashank Kanmuri in Eventing and Divyakriti Singh and Gaurav Pundir in Dressage.

Felicitating the athletes on Friday, Mandaviya underlined India's recent rise 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. 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 train abroad," he said, as quoted from a release.

The Minister also reiterated the government's commitment to establishing a quarantine centre in India within a year, a long-pending demand crucial for horse movement for international competitions.

Shruti Vora, the winner of three silvers from the competition, praised the minister's swift response to athlete concerns.

"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. 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. (ANI)

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