PM urges Rio athletes not to feel burdened

New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that India is proud of all of its athletes participating in the Rio Olympics, and urged them not to feel "burdened about the results".

The Prime Minister, in a series of tweets from his personal twitter account, said he was asked by cricketer Sachin Tendulkar to speak about the Indian athletes on Independence Day.

"I appreciate the thought of @sachin_rt but I want to add, why wait for 15th August to speak about the subject. I want to do so now (sic)," the Prime Minister tweeted.

"India is phenomenally proud of all our athletes in Rio and their hard work that got them there. Victory and setbacks are all a part of life," he said in another tweet.

"I urge all athletes who have their games remaining to give their best and play with determination, not get burdened by what the result will be. The endurance, determination and dedication of every Indian athlete who is in Rio makes us very proud. They are India's pride," he added.