new delhi prime minister narendra modi on saturday felicitated the indian contingent on its return from the commonwealth games saying the golden era of indian sports is about to dawn he lauded the athletes for the record haul of medals at birmingham the pm hailed the revival of the countrys rich legacy of hockey and also the stupendous performance of women athletes besides the debutantshosting the contingent at his residence modi said the athletes come from different states and diverse cultures and play different sports but the love for the nation and pride towards the tiranga unites themnikhat zareen presents her boxing gloves to pm narendra modi pti photothe power of the indian tricolour was seen in ukraine where it had become a protective shield not only for indians but also for citizens of other countries in getting out of the battlefield the pm saidprime minister narendra modi with wrestlers sakshi malik and vinesh phogat pti photohe also said that numbers do not reflect the entire story as many medals were missed by the narrowest possible margins which will soon be rectified by the determined players recalling that the countrys athletes have proven their mettle in various other events the pm said it is definitely a time of excitement and exultation for the indian sportprime minister narendra modi with womens hockey team captain savita punia pti photothere are also many coaches and colleagues associated with sports administration whose role in these successes has been excellent but this is also the beginningwe are not going to sit quietly assuming satisfaction the golden era of indias sports is knocking the pm said and added seeing the healthy mix of experience and energy combined with superb teamwork i can say indian sports is in safe handsprime minister narendra modi with weightlifter mirabai chanu pti photosaying that 31 debutant athletes won medals modi also made special mention of women athletes be it boxing judo wrestling the way our daughters have dominated it was amazing he said